CBI calls for action against TCP officials for ‘favouring’ builder

Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 24

The CBI has called for disciplinary action against five officials of the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department for alleged lapses in land release and grant of licence in favour of Krrish Buildtech Private Limited (now Brahma City Private Limited).

THE CASE FILE

The CBI chargesheet states that the licence application of Krrish Buildtech for a plotted colony spread over 162 acres in Gurugram was processed at an “abnormal speed” from April 20, 2010, to May 27, 2010, when the Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued. The firm’s 130 acres were released before the issuance of Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act.

As per the CBI chargesheet filed before a special court in Panchkula, these officials are the then District Town Planner (DTP) Devendra Nimbokar (now Senior Town Planner (STP)), former DTP PP Singh (now STP), former Gurugram STP Kamal Kumar Saini (retired as Chief Town Planner), former Gurugram DTP Vijender Kumar (now STP), and former kanungo Chhotu Ram (now retired).

However, the department has not taken any action against them.

The CBI is pressing for a criminal trial against three former officials — former Chief Town Planner JS Redhu, former Assistant Town Planner SK Arora and former Deputy Superintendent Rajbir Singh — for corruption, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy. They were handed over the chargesheet on March 22.

The case pertains to the release of notified land in favour of builders and grant of licences to them from 2009 to 2012 by cheating landowners and the state of Haryana.

The CBI chargesheet states that the licence application of Krrish Buildtech for a plotted colony spread over 162 acres was processed at an “abnormal speed” from April 20, 2010, to May 27, 2010, when the Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued. The firm’s 130 acres were released before the issuance of Section 6 of the Land Acquisition Act.

The CBI said Redhu proposed the grant of licence by releasing the notified land on May 26, 2010, which was endorsed by then Director, Town and Country Planning (TCP) TC Gupta and then Financial Commissioner, TCP, DS Dhesi on May 26, 2010. It was approved by then Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda the same day, as conveyed by Chattar Singh, Principal Secretary to CM.

The same day, the draft LOI was put up and, the next day, Gupta signed it.

The CBI has told the court that the investigation against Hooda, 13 developers and others mentioned in the FIR is under way. Gupta’s name is mentioned in the FIR registered in 2019.