Police files FIR in Swarn Jayanti Puram plot restoration case - Hindustan Times
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Police files FIR in Swarn Jayanti Puram plot restoration case

Hindustan Times | By, Ghaziabad
Dec 18, 2017 12:01 AM IST

This is the first action that has been taken in the case after councillor Rajendra Tyagi filed a PIL in 2011 in the Allahabad high court. The high court had directed inquiry into the role of officials and other staff members involved

Police have lodged a case of cheating into the alleged irregularities in the restoration of 139 plots at the Swarn Jayanti Puram housing scheme. Several GDA officers, who served from 2005 to 2007 when 139 plots of Swarn Jayanti Puram housing scheme were restored, are under scanner for their role in the scam.

A case of cheating into alleged irregularities in restoration of 139 plots at Swarn Jayanti Puram was lodged on Sunday.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)
A case of cheating into alleged irregularities in restoration of 139 plots at Swarn Jayanti Puram was lodged on Sunday.(Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

“The FIR is lodged under IPC section for cheating. During investigation, police may add more sections and names will also come to light. The authority, in its complaint, has not mentioned any names but these will emerge once probe is initiated,” Atish Kumar Singh, circle officer (city II), said.

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This is the first action that has been taken in the case after councillor Rajendra Tyagi filed a PIL in 2011 in the Allahabad high court. The high court had directed inquiry into the role of officials and other staff members involved.

The FIR was filed as the authority is required to file a report before the high court on the next date of hearing, December 19.

Police said that to conduct a detailed probe, a special investigation team would be required as police do not have officials to probe economic offences.

The irregularities involve loss to state exchequer, evasion of stamp duty and also alleged malpractices during plot restoration. Councilor Tyagi in his petition had contended that officers and staff were in connivance with private persons and violated norms of restoration.

According to the legal department officers of GDA, the irregularities allegedly caused a loss of nearly Rs3.69 crore and also a stamp duty evasion of nearly Rs30 lakh.

“The complaint to police mentions the violation of norms, the loss caused and request to probe the role of authority’s former officers. Apart from the police complaint, we have also filed 118 civil suits at Ghaziabad court for cancellation of sale deeds of the restored plots in question. The rest suits will be filed by Monday,” authority’s legal officer Rajendra Tyagi said.

“The high court had also directed action against the officers and staff concerned,” he added.

Prior to the FIR, the GDA had sent names of several officers to the state administration for a detailed inquiry. These included the then-GDA vice-chairman DP Singh, then-officer-on-special-duty (OSD) RP Pandey, then-secretary RC Mishra, then-OSD Heera Lal and then-under secretary Late Anil Rana. OSD RP Pandey was promoted to IAS and is presently posted as the district magistrate of Hamirpur.

For Swarn Jayanti Puram housing scheme, nearly 1,583 plots were offered during 1998 to 2003. During 2005 to 2007, restoration of 139 cancelled plots was taken up by then GDA officers.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Peeyush Khandelwal writes on a range of issues in western Uttar Pradesh – from crime, to development authorities and from infrastructure to transport. Based in Ghaziabad, he has been a journalist for almost a decade.

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