Hold CBI probe into auction of land at Model Town Extension by Ludhiana Improvement Trust: BJP

Kuldip Bhatia

Ludhiana, September 6

State secretary of the Pradhan Mantri Jankalyankari Yojna Prachar Prasar Abhiyan Vineet Pal Singh Monga and other BJP activists today staged a dharna at the DC’s office and also submitted a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner against the questionable auction of a prime land in Model Town Extension by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), which had allegedly caused revenue loss of more than Rs 200 crore to the state exchequer.

The protesters also demanded a CBI probe into the ‘shady’ land deal and stern action against the guilty persons, including the LIT chairman.

The BJP activists alleged that the LIT officials had got the land undervalued by the committee, headed by the Deputy Commissioner, by providing wrong and misleading facts. As a result, the reserve price of 3.75 acres commercial land was fixed at Rs 91crore against its prevailing market price of more than Rs 350 crore.

“The sale proceeds of the land at approximately Rs 98 crore have caused a loss of over Rs 200 crore to the state exchequer for which criminal proceedings ought to be launched against the LIT chairman and conniving officials. At the same time, the e-auction of the land which was subject to final approval of the state government (Local Government Department, Punjab), be cancelled,” the party demanded in the memorandum.

While submitting the memorandum to the DC, Monga said the matter is also being taken up with the Union Government for launching a CBI inquiry into all the auctions of land and property conducted by the LIT after the incumbent chairman took over the reins during the Congress rule in Punjab.

“We have made a submission to the Government of India through the Union Home Ministry to conduct a CBI probe into alleged links of senior Congress leaders in the city, as well as at Chandigarh, with the land mafia which intended to usurp prime chinks of land at different places in the state at throwaway prices through similar manipulations,” Monga added.

‘Loss of Rs200 crore to state exchequer’

“The sale proceeds of the land at approximately Rs98 crore have caused a loss of over Rs200 crore to the state exchequer for which criminal proceedings ought to be launched against the LIT chairman and conniving officials,” the BJP demanded in the memorandum.