AHMEDABAD:
Gujarat high court has ordered the registration of an FIR for an alleged
scam in the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC)
housing scheme for
economically weaker sections (EWS) at
Lakhudi Talav in Naranpura.
Justice A J Desai junked Naranpura police’s clean chit to the developer B Safal Group and AMC officials and directed police to register an FIR for the alleged illegality and irregularities in allotment of houses. The high court made it clear that the FIR will be open and against all those whose names surface in the investigation.
The developer was supposed to build 540 flats but 568 flats and shops were constructed. Of them, only 148 units were allotted through a draw. The allegations are that many persons, who were not residents of the slum that existed at the site before the construction, received flats. As many as 157 flats were found to be rented out and more than 100 flats were locked. It was alleged that as many as 420 flats were allotted to ineligible people.
Ordering a fresh investigation, the HC took into consideration a report by the AMC’s vigilance department and a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in which the irregularities were highlighted. Despite two damning reports, police closed the case in May 2016.
The HC intervention came after Janksinh Parmar took up the issue and fought a legal battle for action against those involved in the illegal allotment of houses. Parmar’s advocate, Vishal Anandjiwala, said that after the irregularities came to the notice of the complainant in September 2014, various representations were made to all concerned authorities including the police. The allegations against the developer and four AMC officials include fabricating documents, forgery, cheating, misappropriation and criminal breach of trust.
Police had submitted a closure report in May 2016. One month later, the AMC’s vigilance department came up with a detailed report on the allotment of flats. It opined that there were serious irregularities and illegalities in the allotment. The report claimed that a number of documents were forged and fabricated and flats were allotted to persons who were never occupants of the Lakhudi Talav hutments.
