CBI sleuths come calling at Strawberry School

“We have seized some records,videographed the entire premises of Strawberry Fields. It is part of our ongoing inquiry following a complaint,alleging certain irregularities in the school. We are investigating the case. Nothing more can be divulged at this stage,” said a senior CBI official.

School director Atul Khanna said: “We cannot call it a raid,as it was a mere visit by a CBI team. As far as I know,the team came to verify the basis of a false complaint registered regarding functioning of the school. During the visit,they neither inspected any school records nor questioned any staff member. I was informed about the visit by my staff as I was at the Strawberry Fields World School in Sector 26.”

Meanwhile,as part of procedure,an assistant from the UT Estate Office was also summoned at the CBI office as an independent witness to the inquiry proceedings that took place at the school.

In October 2010,the CBI had ordered a preliminary inquiry into a complaint alleging serious irregularities in allotment of land to Durga Das Foundation for Strawberry Fields. It has been alleged that the UT administration gave undue favours to the school.

Filed by Manpreet Singh Sandhu,a local resident,the complaint alleges that in 2003,the UT Administration had allotted Durga Das Foundation a site of 22830.88 square yards with a floor area ratio (FAR) of 0.25 and permissible ground coverage of 15 per cent at a premium of Rs 900 per square yard.

It adds that the Administration reduced the land rate from Rs 1,800 per square yard to Rs 900 per square yard by introducing a clause regarding the utilisation of lower FAR of 0.25 instead of 0.50,which led to a considerable financial loss to the administration. The loss was in terms of premium as well as ground rent.

The complainant also alleges that shortly after allotment,the Durga Das Foundation wrote to the Administration requesting enhancement of FAR to 0.50.