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28 Gomti Nagar allotments illegal

LUCKNOW: The controversial allotment of plots to influential persons during the Samajwadi Party regime has come to the fore again with allotments to 28 persons, including relatives of powerful politicians and bureaucrats, in Vipul Khand (Gomti Nagar) by the Lucknow Development Authority being declared illegal. The allotments were made in 2004-2005 when Mulayam Singh was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.

The inquiry committee headed by Lucknow Divisional Commissioner Vijay Shankar Pandey submitted its report to the Government on Wednesday. In his report, Mr. Pandey has suggested that the allotments be cancelled and legal action initiated.

Mr. Pandey, who is a member of the U.P. IAS Action Group responsible for identifying the most corrupt bureaucrats, has, in his findings, indicted the then LDA Vice-Chairman B. B. Singh (presently under suspension), the then Secretaries of LDA, Rekha Gupta and Vijay Yadav, former LDA joint secretary J. B. Singh and former Housing Commissioner K. L. Meena. He has recommended action against them. However, the Government is no hurry to initiate action on the report and is looking into the legal implications of the move. A senior official of the Chief Minister’s Office said the law department was being consulted. Among the beneficiaries of LDA’s largesse in the form of plots ranging from 300 square metres to 540 square metres were Anita Singh, Special Secretary to the former CM, Shivi Kumar, daughter of Anil Kumar, Principal Secretary to the former CM, and R.C.S. Rawat, father-in-law of Samajwadi Party MP and Mr. Mulayam Singh’s son, Akhilesh Singh Yadav. Ms. Singh was the most powerful bureaucrat in the CM’s Office during the Mulayam regime.

Saroj Chaudhary, wife of former Revenue Minister, Ambika Chaudary, former Chief Town Planner of LDA, C. P. Sharma, former SSP of Lucknow, Navneit Sikera, and the daughters of then Lucknow Divisional Commissioner, R. K.Mittal, and former District Magistrate of Lucknow, R. N. Tripathi were also in the list of allottees.

Four members of the same family belonging to Etawah were the other allottees, as was a close relative of former LDA Vice-Chairman B. B. Singh. Mr. Singh was the District Magistrate of Etawah (Mulayam Singh’s home district) before he was brought in as LDA V-C by the former CM in 2004.

Informed sources said in some cases the allotments were either made on the very same day of submission of the application form to LDA, or the next day. In the case of one allottee, the application was submitted on December 16, 2004, and the allotment was cleared the same day. A relative of a senior bureaucrat submitted the application form on May 4, 2005, and the allotment was cleared on May 5, 2005, sources said.

PTI adds:

An application was moved before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday seeking quashing of a probe panel’s report recommending cancellation of allotment of plots .

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