Row over sale of prime land in Ludhiana: BJP leader stages dharna

BJP leader Vineetpal Singh Monga alleged that prime land in Ludhiana’s Model Town Extension area, estimated to be worth ₹350 crore, was sold for a mere ₹98 crore by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust

Alleging a scam in the sale of a prime chunk of land in Model Town Extension area, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader sat on dharna outside the deputy commissioner’s office on Monday, demanding a CBI and vigilance probe into the matter.

Vineetpal Singh Monga handed over a memorandum to the DC’s office, alleging that the 3.75-acre property was sold in connivance with land mafia, causing loss worth over ₹250 crore. (HT Photo)

BJP leader Vineetpal Singh Monga alleged that the prime land, estimated to be worth ₹350 crore, was sold for a mere ₹98 crore by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust.

He handed over a memorandum to the office, alleging that the 3.75-acre property was sold in connivance with land mafia, causing loss worth over ₹250 crore.

LIT chairman Raman Balasubramaniam had recently refuted the allegations, while maintaining that the land’s reserve price was fixed by a deputy commissioner-led panel.

However, deputy commissioner Varinder Sharma had rebutted the claim and said that only rates for residential plots and built-up booths in Model Town Extension were fixed by the panel.

Monga said, “Now the cat is out of the bag. The contradictory statements of LIT chairman and DC indicate a murky deal. A high-level probe should be initiated to get into the depth of the matter.”