Ex-minister Sunder Sham Arora again under scanner in Rs 600-crore ‘scam’ : The Tribune India

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Sunder Sham Arora

Tribune News Service

Rajmeet Singh

Chandigarh, October 12

Days after being summoned in a disproportionate assets case last month, former Industries Minister Sunder Sham Arora has been again summoned by the Vigilance Bureau (VB) on Wednesday.

He has been under scanner for alleged irregularities in transfer and bifurcation of a 25-acre land of erstwhile Punjab Anand Lamps Limited (Philips) in Phase IX of Mohali. The VB suspects a loss of around Rs 600 crore to the state exchequer in

the case.

The role of Arora, who left the Congress to join the BJP after AAP came to power, is already being probed for his alleged role in “irregularities” in allotment of industrial plots of the Punjab Small Industries and Export Corporation (PSIEC), including the auction of industrial land, which was earlier allotted to the JCT.

The Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC) had allotted 25-acre land to Punjab Anand Lamps Ltd at subsidised rates in 1987. The land was sold to Gulmohar Township for Rs 120 crore in 2020.

Subsequently, the PSIDC issued a no objection certificate (NOC) to the Gulmohar Township Ltd with a condition that the plot was sold only for setting up of industrial plot, as per the original allotment terms and conditions of the original allottee in 1987.

Acting on a complaint, the VB is probing whether the former minister, without the approval of the then Chief Minister, had passed an order to allow the PSIEC to take over the work of approval of building plans of the PSIDC.

On March 19, 2021, the builder had applied for bifurcation of the land into 12 plots. It is being probed whether the official record was tampered and the number of plots was changed from 12 to 125. The role of some of the bureaucrats is also under scanner.

A senior official in the VB said the minister was questioned in the case on Wednesday. It was being examined whether the policy and guidelines on bifurcation of plots were followed or not.

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