Adarsh chief promoter to depose before inquiry panel

Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, Congress leader and one of the chief promoters of Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society will begin deposing before the Adarsh Inquiry Commission on Tuesday. HT reports.

Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, Congress leader and one of the chief promoters of Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society will begin deposing before the Adarsh Inquiry Commission on Tuesday.

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Gidwani’s deposition will be the first testimony given by a promoter of the Adarsh Housing Society to the Adarsh Commission, which has been taking down evidence for the last five months.

Gidwani has been accused of using his personal influence with bureaucrats and politicians to get favours from the society, which has been built on a controversial piece of land. Gidwani, along with two of his sons Kailash and Amit, owns a flat in the society.

The CBI, in its FIR filed on January 29, named 13 people as accused, including Gidwani, in the housing scam.

Gidwani had been instrumental in procuring the land and getting concessions for it from the government. He was in the Shiv Sena when he began attempts to get a plot allotted for Adarsh but later joined the Congress.

On March 2003, Gidwani had addressed a letter to the chief minister of Maharashtra requesting to “adopt a supporting and positive approach to their request”.

He had mentioned in the letter that the society was “mainly of persons from the Armed Forces (Army, Air Force, Navy and other Service), who have dedicated their lives to the safety of our Motherland”.

By that time, however, a majority of members were civilians. He was also instrumental in pushing for additional floor space index to the society.

Gidwani will be cross-examined by commission counsel Dipan Merchant.