Quake scams can go deeper than Sharma’s role

If documents collected by investigating agency CID (Crime) are anything to go by,host of other officers from the principal secretary level to deputy collectors seem to have played some role at some point in these scams as far as “overnight “ signing of land allotment papers is concerned.

The documents,which are with The Indian Express,reveal how several acres were allotted to private companies and influential businessmen overnight at the district collectorate level,how loan subsidies were sanctioned from Gandhinagar and how,later on,higher ups in Gandhinagar issued stay orders when some objections surfaced.

While a couple of activists,one of whom died earlier this year,struggled for half a decade to bring out these scams using the RTI Act,the state government got into action in 2009 and handed over the investigations to the CID,which slapped four cases on Sharma in the last 18 months.

In May this year,the CID chargesheeted former Ahmedabad district collector and the then Kutch District Development Officer,Harit Shukla,in one of the four cases. But this was not followed by any action. Besides,the agency has interrogated some government officers,including K B Thanki,S H Mehta,V Prasad and Dhananjay Dwivedi.

Of the five major scams that RTI activists Henry Chacko and late Arvind Gadhvi have tried to expose,the CID has registered FIRs in three. Investigation in the fourth one has just begun while an alleged bigger scam,involving several acres of salt pan land,is yet to find place in CID files.

The cases

Bhuj wholesale market scam: Total 432 plots were allotted to businessmen after the wholesale market suffered severe damages in the earthquake. The scheme was exclusively for G5 category (completely collapsed) shops. According to the complaint,only 11 shops could be categorised under G5 against the 432 benefited shopowners. For the rehabilitation of new market,the colletorate had acquired 17 acres near Bhujia Kotha,but 8 acres were utilised.

Story so far: CID investigations revealed how Sharma allotted land to non-beneficiaries and four businessmen,who led Commence and Industry Association to issue G5 certificates. But what has not come out in public so far is that when Sharma’s successor Dhananjay Dwivedi (2006-2007) learnt about the alleged scam on August 15,2006,he issued notices to 421 shops,but no further steps were taken.

Next District Collector R R Versani (2007-2010) on March 25,2008 ordered to cancel allotment in 86 cases and cleared rest of the cases on humanitarian ground. But revenue secretary T S Randhawa,on April 13,2009,stayed the cancellation order in 86 cases.

The CID arrested Sharma on January 6,2010,from his official residence of Bhavnagar Municipal Commissioner. It was followed by the arrest of four other government officers,including F A Suvera,J D Joshi,Natu Desai and P S Mori,and two businessmen,including Arvind Thakkar.

“This scam reportedly has a second layer as many of these dubious beneficiaries got 100 per cent loan subsidy for repairing and rebuilding,instead of 10 to 50 per cent that they deserved for G1 to G5- minor to major damages,” says Chacko,whose PIL in the Gujarat High Court resulted in the probe.

The bigger issue is the rehabilitation site,which is near Army ammunition depot Bhujio Kotha. According to a court order,there should be no civil construction in the 700-metre radius of Bhojio Kotho.

Welspun case: In 2004,4.97 lakh square metre land near Versamedi village in Anjara taluka was allotted to textile manufacturing company Welspun at Rs 15 to Rs 78 per square metre. A Disitrcit collector is authorised to allot only 20,000 square metre.

Story so far: Sharma has been accused of abuse of power and allotting 4.97 square metre land by passing 12 orders. While Sharma is main accused in this scam,the CID has also interrogated Shukla as he was the Kutch District Development Officer and part of the committee authorised to allot land and decide price. Shukla has been chargesheeted in this case.

Twist in the tale came when it was revealed that Welspun had exclusively contracted Value Packaging Limited to supply corrugated printed cartons. Value Packaging Limited has three partners,including Sharma’s wife Shyamal,Revenue Principal Secretary P Pannervel’s wife Deepika Pannervel and one Malik.

Zindal Pipes: Sharma and former town planner Natu Desai have been accused of giving land to private company Zindal Pipes for pittance. The complaint registered by CID (Crime) DSP K P Gajipara says that Sharma,who as district collector was authorised to give only 20,000 square metre land,allotted 20,584 square metres. It further says this land was sold for Rs 7 per square metre.

Shukla has been interrogated in this case,too.

Scam awaiting FIR: Collapsed high-rises: As many as 89 high-rises (five to seven storied) had collapsed in the quake. As per the 5th rehabilitation package of the state government,inhabitants were allotted land elsewhere and they were supposed to handover the original sites to the government.

But the government has reportedly not taken into possession a single site,though all the affected have got new plots and houses. While builders are allegedly enjoying possession of these sites — each valued at over Rs 1 crore — at two sites,new buildings have come up.

An RTI reply by the Bhuj Area Development Authority to Arvind Gadhvi,who died the day investigation started,revealed that the government has not taken possession of a single site.

“For this case,we have to go through 1,200 files. So far,over 10 persons have been interrogated,” said a CID officer.

The Road and Building department was sanctioned over Rs 1.47 crore to demolish 71 buildings that were badly damaged in the earthquake. But a dozen of apartments,which had reportedly collapsed,have been shown on paper as “demolished” by R&B department while half a dozen buildings that have been shown as demolished on paper are still standing. These include Shraddha Apartment,Hinglaj Wadi on Hospital Road,Poonam Apartment,New Station Road,and Deep Mandir Commercial Complex.

Alleged scam: Kidana salt pan: In 2006,18,000 square metre of salt pan land was allegedly allotted to 30 rice warehouses at Kidana village near Kandla in Anjar taluka. This was despite a government notification that there cannot be change in utlilisation purpose in case of pan land.