The Hindu : Front Page : DDA auctions encroached plot of land for hotel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 17, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

DDA auctions encroached plot of land for hotel

Staff Reporter

Bluff called in court after 15-crore bidder has the shock of his life

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority is at it again. It has auctioned an extensively encroached 1,668 square metres plot meant for a hotel at Vivek Vihar in the Capital to a private builder. The hotel was to be constructed by 2009-end, well ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be held in the city.

When the successful bidder, Gulshan Sethi of Perfect Learning Pvt. Limited, went to the site to take possession, he was shocked to find it extensively encroached upon by Government and private offices.

The Delhi Jal Board, a taxi stand and a private gas agency were running their offices from the plot. To make matter worse, there was also a slum cluster on the site.

The bluff was called when the petitioner approached the Delhi High Court on Thursday bringing to its notice inaction on the part of the DDA to remove the encroachments and seeking protection against recovery of the balance amount from it.

The petitioner submitted that after having obtained the site plan, when he went to inspect the plot he found it occupied by encroachers.

The DDA also chose to sit over repeated requests by the petitioner to remove the encroachments and defer payment of the balance amount, the petition stated.

Taking the petition on record, Justice Gita Mittal restrained the DDA from recovering the balance amount or taking any other action against the petitioner.

The petitioner had won the bid at an auction on May 14 for about Rs.15 crore against the reserve price of about Rs. 14 crore and had deposited Rs.3.66 crore of the total bid amount with the DDA the same day.

The balance was to be paid within 90 days of the bid.

Accusing the DDA of misrepresentation of facts for attracting a heavy price for the plot, the petitioner said the DDA was now pressurising him for payment of the balance amount of Rs.11 crore, although it was not in a position to hand over possession of the property.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page