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NDA govt closer to restoring land to 26 socio-cultural groups, mostly RSS-linked
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had allotted the land between 1998-1999 and September 2004. However, the UPA government in 2004 cancelled the allotments.
The BJP-led NDA government has inched closer to restore prime plots allotted to 26 socio-cultural organisations in the Capital that were cancelled by the previous UPA regime in 2004 citing norm violations.
A majority of these organisations, including the Akhil Bhartiya Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, Swadeshi Jagran Foundation, Bhartiya Kisan Sangh and Sewa Bharti, are affiliated to the RSS, the right-wing ideologue of the BJP.
The Union urban development ministry has accepted the recommendation of a government panel to withdraw the cancellation of allotments to 26 of the 29 organisations. The panel, which submitted its report on June 21, found the cancellation in 26 cases unjustified.
Only in case of three organisations — Asim Sen Spiritual Charitable Society, Sanatan Dharam Sabha and Gujarat Education Society — the two-member committee headed by former transport secretary LK Joshi supported the cancellation of allotments.
“The ministry will now go to the Cabinet with its report. Once approved, the ministry will approach the Delhi high court, where a case in the matter is pending, to get the cancellation of allotment to these 26 organisations revoked,” said a government source.
Sources said the panel recommended cancellation of land allotted to Asim Sen Spiritual Charitable Society on the ground that the organisation has now become defunct while it found that the land allotted to Sanatan Dharam Sabha was under litigation. In case of Gujarat Education Society, the panel supported cancellation as the land was under dispute.
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had made the allotments between 1998-1999 and September 2004. However, the UPA government in 2004 cancelled the allotments based on the recommendations of a one-member inquiry committee headed by retired IAS officer Yogesh Chandra. The Chandra committee had examined around 100 cases of land allotments to various organisations.
Soon after the NDA government came to power in May 2014, many organisations whose allotments were cancelled approached urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu.
The ministry set up a panel in December last year to review if the UPA government’s decision to cancel the allotment was justified.
