Cong for CBI probe into Noida land allotment to Chadda

Even as the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh sits pretty over large scale irregularities committed by the Mayawati government in cash-rich Noida and Greater Noida, the Congress party has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into the allotment of prime commercial and group housing land in that neighbourhood of Delhi.

"We have sufficient evidence to prove that bulk allotment of land to select developers in Noida and Greater Noida has caused the state a whopping loss of Rs 50,000 crore", alleged former Congress minister and state spokesperson Vivek Singh in a letter to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav in Lucknow Monday.

According to him, "Two sectors -- 25 A and 32-A -- were specially created for liquor as well as real estate baron Ponty Chadda, who was given land at a throwaway price, thereby clearly suggesting that some underhand deal was struck between him and the Bahujan Samaj Party government that went out of the way to benefit him."

According to official records, Chadda got some 6,75,000 sq metre of commercial land allotted to his company at a paltry price of Rs 1,60,000 per sq metre. "What was worse that such a huge chunk of land was allotted to Chadda against a nominal payment of just 10 per cent of the value, and to top it all, Chadda's Wave City was given an unusual exemption from payment of installment for the first two years," Singh pointed out.

He alleged an "unholy nexus between Chadda and former chief minister Mayawati as well as her confidante and cabinet colleague Naseemuddin Siddiqui, at whose behest laws and rules were bent to extend all kinds of favours to Wave City."

Earlier, the Mayawati government had doled out an exceptional largesse to Chadda who was given exclusive rights over the Rs 4,500 crore wholesale trade of liquor across Uttar Pradesh.

Chadda, who had shot into the spotlight as a prominent liquor baron of North India, was also given the privilege to purchase bulk of the state's 21 "sick" sugar mills through smooth official machinations during the Mayawati regime.

Significantly however, the new Samajwadi Party government had not taken any steps to undo any of the actions initiated by the Mayawati government to blatantly favour Chadda's companies.

Singh has also sought to draw the chief minister's attention to the fact that while the company was granted this special moratorium of two years, it was busy selling plots in the open market at exorbitant prices and had also realised all the money from allottees.

The Congress spokesman has also sought a probe into allotment of farm houses at concessional rates to a "select few" in Noida. Besides he has also sougt to draw the chief minister's attention to "gross irregularities in allotment of land by various development authorities to certain developers and builders at highly concessional rates."

Urging Akhilesh Yadav to order a CBI inquiry into what he terms as a "multi billion land scam," Singh warned, "In case the SP government fails to concede our demand, we will be compelled to seek intervention of the high court."