Congress, BJP facilitated Priyanka land deals

Shashi Kant

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 30

The Congress as well as the BJP governments have been equally accommodating in allowing Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in buying land in the state.

No queries were posed and no objections were raised when the files were put up for clearance before the authorities concerned.

Documents accessed by TNS under the RTI Act revealed Priyanka bought land in two instalments which were allowed by the government. She first bought it on August 10, 2007 during the previous tenure of Virbhadra Singh expressing her wish to construct a house and raise an orchard at Chharabra.

She bought the land measuring 0.31.84 hectares bearing khasra number 68, 691, 79, 801 raqba tadadi 0-81-84. The land had a two -storied house with a water tank. She was allowed to purchase it on seven conditions while relaxing rules under the Land Revenue Act, 1972 under Section 118 by the state government.

Priyanka again bought land adjacent to her plot on July 29, 2011 with all clearances from the state during the BJP regime. She bought the land numbering khasra number 26473 and 26573 measuring 0-4-25 hectares. The sale deed was executed on Rs 20 stamp deed and was registered in the office of the SDM, Rural on September 22, 2011.

While she has been managing to prevent this information from coming into the public domain on the grounds of security, the orders of the State Information Commission have made it clear that it would be made public by the administration within 10 days.

DC Dinesh Malhotra said they would comply with the orders of the commission.

Sources said following the orders, all information about the land would be made public. Political circles do not rule out a controversy after all the documents were scrutinised and analysed by experts.