CBI calls for disciplinary action against TCPD officials for favouring Krrish Buildtech

Bhartesh Singh Thakur

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 24

The CBI has called for taking disciplinary action against five officials of the Town and Country Planning Department (TCPD) for lapses in land release and grant of licence in favour of M/s Krrish Buildtech Pvt Ltd (now M/s Brahma City Pvt Ltd).

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

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

In this case, the CBI is pressing for criminal trial against three former TCPD officials-former Chief Town Planner JS Redhu, former Assistant Town Planner (ATP) 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 Haryana. Out of 1,417 acres, which was intended to be acquired, the award was announced for 85 acres only.

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

The CBI said that Redhu proposed for grant of licence by releasing 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. The same was approved by then CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the same day, as conveyed by PS to CM Chattar Singh.

On 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 other colonisers and others mentioned in the FIR is going on. TC Gupta’s name is mentioned in the FIR registered in 2019.

The CBI found that the application was processed despite that it didn’t have ITRs, details of immovable or movable properties, experience of developing colony, authority letter from the company to submit the application, revenue records, consent of landowners in submitting application and document related to the financial and technical capacity of the company to develop a colony.

Redhu gave seven days to the firm to remove discrepancies, said the chargesheet.

For site reports, the letters were addressed to DTP and STP of Gurugram on May 7, 2010, but the same was received by a representative of Krrish Buildtech from the office of DTCP and were delivered to DTP Gurugram the same day, says CBI. Though the DTCP office had sent the land schedule for 162 acres for verification but at the DTP office, a land schedule for 180 acres was received.

The agreements to sell with landowners were hidden from TCPD and instead, collaboration agreements were submitted, as ownership of land was not allowed to be changed for release of land and grant of licence as per the policy, dated October 26, 2007.

Farmers were forced to sell their land to colonisers at collector rate after notification for land acquisition whereas market rate was much higher.

The next date is April 1 in the case.