Land allotment to Appu Ghar promoters under VBscanner

Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 1

The allotment of about 58 acres of prime land in Gurgaon to International Amusement Limited (IAL), promoters of the iconic Appu Ghar for an amusement park, is under the vigilance scanner.

Acting on complaints, including a ‘chargesheet’ against the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress Government by the INLD last year, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has given his nod to a probe by the State Vigilance Bureau (SVB) into the leasing of land in Sectors 29, 52-A and 53-A to the IAL allegedly in contravention of rules and regulations.

Incidentally, only last year the IAL launched its much-publicised Oyesters Water Park on a chunk of the land which was allegedly allotted by the Hooda Government .

Alleging malpractices by the Hooda Government in the allotment of land to the company, the INLD ‘chargesheet’ to the Haryana Governor in the run-up to last year’s parliamentary and assembly elections, had alleged that the “entire exercise was manipulated, twisted and tailor-made only to accommodate the IAL”.

The INLD alleged that land valued around Rs1,000 crore had been leased to the company for 33 years at a pittance (nearly Rs106 crore) . “Representations by the Citizens Council and the Residents Welfare Federation, pointing out irregularities and illegalities committed by the previous Congress Government causing huge loss to the state exchequer and even a question in the state assembly did not deter the government from going ahead with the project,” the INLD alleged.

The process for the setting up of the project was set in motion in 2009 with the company writing to the Chief Minister, suggesting the setting up of an urban entertainment centre, specially an amusement park. The only competitive bid of the IAL was accepted and expression of interest (EoI) was given to the company in May, 2010.The Unitech bid was rejected on account of ‘non-fulfilment’ of the technical criteria.