Expedite probe, Dev tells Vigilance
Rajinder Nagarkoti
Chandigarh, March 2
Two days after the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation decided to recommend to the UT Administration initiation of criminal proceedings against officials of the Estate Office and the MC, who were named by the CBI in a note sent to the Administration in connection with the construction of 25 EWS flats in the Uppal Housing in Mani Majra in 2013, UT Adviser Vijay Kumar Dev today directed the UT Vigilance Department to expedite the probe into the scam.
After the CBI communication to the UT Administration in 2013, the then UT Adviser, KK Sharma, had marked a probe to the UT Vigilance Department.
Confirming the development, Dev said he had directed the UT Vigilance Department to expedite the probe.
He said those involved in the scam would not be spared.
Yesterday, city Mayor Arun Sood had decided that besides recommending action against the officials named in the CBI note, he would also write to the UT Administration to provide a copy of the CBI note to the Municipal Corporation.
At a meeting of the general house of the MC on February 29, it was unanimously resolved to urge the Administration to initiate criminal proceedings against the builder and the officials named in the note.
The issue was raised at the meeting by BJP councillor Satish Kainth, who sought to know the status of EWS flats in the Uppal Housing project at Mani Majra from the MC. Uppal Housing did not construct 25 EWS houses in the project.
The case
The matter pertains to the allotment of 6.9 acres of prime land in pocket number 2 and 3 in Mani Majra to Uppal Housing for Rs 108 crore on November 28, 2005. The housing plan specified that 15 per cent of the total number of housing units, having a minimum area of 200 sq ft each, shall be constructed for the EWS category.
CBI asked UT to fix responsibility
In a 17-page note in 2013, the CBI had asked the UT Administration to fix responsibility of officials who remained associated with the project and were signatories to the entire process of land allotment, sanctioning of building plans, making inspections and issuance of occupation certificate, and initiate appropriate action, as deemed fit, in the matter.
