Kutch land scam: Lone crusader dies the day CID begins probe

Gadhvi,a former president of the Kutch district Shiv Sena,had gathered evidence through RTI applications that powerful builders still held possessions of sites where high rises once stood before the 2001 earthquake.

In its notification dated April 24,2001,the state government had come out with a total of five rehabilitation packages to rebuild Kutch. According to fifth package,the affected families were given land (100 to 150 square feet) at new sites while the government was supposed to take over the original sites of the high rises. Majority of sites are located on Airport Road,Bankers’ Colony,Bhavesmagar,Bhattara Faliya,Hospital Road,Kans Baz Ravani,Sanskarnagar and Station Road. In Bhuj city,each site has a market rate exceeding Rs 1 crore. Rehabilitation package was announced for major cites like Bhuj,Anjar,Rapar and Bhachchu.

An RTI reply reply dated February 20,2008 by the Bhuj Area Development Authority information officer to Gadhvi showed that the government had not taken possession of the sites in all the 89 collapsed high rises in Bhuj city. The RTI reply showed that at two places,two new projects had come up — a commercial complex named Deep Mandir and a residential project,Balaji Apartment.

Dadlani said: “Gadhvi began a campaign in 2005,but for years,did not get any response from the concerned departments. But he did his home work and in 2008,used the RTI Act to gather the evidence he wanted.”

In April 2009,Gadhvi wrote a letter to Chief Minister Narendra Modi furnishing all the evidence. A departmental inquiry was ordered into this matter by SMF Bukhari,Officer on Special Deputy,Departmental Inquiry . But in the absence of any departmental action in the next six months,Gadhvi filled a PIL in October 2009 in Gujarat HC stating that the state government was supposed to take over the sites.

Though the HC passed an order in 2009,the CID was handed over the case in the beginning of 2010. This was followed with the arrest of then Kutch Collector Pradeep Sharma in another earthquake related scam.

But investigation into this particular case began only on Monday. Two collectors and eight deputy collectors ,who served in Kutch district during the rehabilitation period,have reportedly came under the CID scanner.

Gadhvi overcame several obstacles in these six years. His house,located near a hospital,was reportedly demolished in 2006 by then collector Sharma on the pretext of non-adherence to Town Planning schemes. Dudlani said Sharma was irked as Gadhvi had started a campaign against corruption. Two years ago,he lost his wife to diabetes. He started a weekly newspaper from Bhuj called Kutch Sukan around the same time,Dudlani said. “The main objective was to write about the scams he came across,” he added.

Gadhvi is survived by a daughter and son-in-law.