CBI books DDF directors,UT officials for causing losses to govt exchequer

Following the registration of the case,the CBI conducted parallel raids at both the schools (in Sector 24 and Sector 26) and the Khannas’ palatial Sector 9 residence. Sources disclosed that the CBI had registered the FIR last week but the raids were conducted today.

However,considering the ‘clout’ of the Khannas with the government machinery,the CBI officials refused to divulge any details on the case.

The raids commenced at around 9 am today,simultaneously at the Khannas’ residence and the two schools and were over in a couple of hours. During the raids at the Khannas’ residence,Atul and Brij Khanna were also briefly questioned by the CBI officials.

Atul Khanna had been questioned previously too by CBI officials at his Sector 30 office. In October last year,the CBI had registered a Preliminary Enquiry (PE) to unearth the role of senior UT administration officials for allegedly extending favours to Durga Das Foundation for Strawberry World,a high school in Sector 26.

The enquiry was marked on the complaint lodged by a local resident,Manpreet Singh Sandhu,highlighting gross irregularities in increasing the Floor-Area-Ratio (FAR) at the site on old rates by the Chandigarh Administration,causing a loss of around Rs 35 crore to the government Exchequer. During the course of the inquiry earlier this year,the CBI had also summoned the records pertaining to allotment of school sites in Chandigarh (after 2003) from the UT Estate Office.

The records of another school run by DDF,Strawberry Fields,a kindergarten school in Sector 24,too were scrutinised by CBI officials. Sources disclosed that the CBI,has prima facie found vital evidence substantiating the allegations in the complaint filed against DDF and Chandigarh Administration officials and,thus,registered a criminal case against Atul Khanna and others.

Despite repeated attempts,Atul Khanna did not respond to phone calls and messages sent to him. His brother Kapil Khanna,when contacted refused to comment on the issue.

CBI sources added that during the previous raids conducted by it in March this year,‘incriminating’ documents were recovered from both the schools run by DDF in Sectors 24 and 26. Later,during the scrutiny of official records procured by the CBI from the UT Estate Office,certain irregularities pertaining to increase in Floor-Area-Ratio awarded to DDF in case of Strawberry World,Sector 26,and allotment of land where Strawberry Fields,Sector 24,is being run,were detected.

Khanna family well connected

The Khanna family is known for its access to Punjab Raj Bhawan and proximity to all the UT Administrators-cum-Punjab Governors for the last two decades. While former Punjab Governor Surendra Nath used to frequent their school and residence,General S F Rodrigues was a frequent visitor to the Khannas’ residence. The Chandigarh Administration too had kept Atul Khanna on the Chandigarh Industrial and Tourism Development Corporation (CITCO) Board of Directors despite the fact that he had no expertise in the tourism industry.