Govt to set up judicial probe into land allotment by housing board

The Mamata Banerjee government on Friday informed the Calcutta High Court that it would soon set up a judicial panel to probe into the distribution of flats and land under the quota of West Bengal Housing Board chairman during the Left Front government. Former housing minister Gautam Deb was the chairman of the housing board when the allotments were carried out.

Government counsel Ashoke Banerjee informed the Division Bench of the Chief Justice Jaynarayan Patel and Justice Jaymalya Bagchi after they directed the housing board to complete a probe within six months and take the necessary steps according to the law. The Bench was hearing a PIL filed by Kolkata resident Timir Chakarborty,who had alleged that the Housing Board allotted the plots and flats under the chairman’s quota despite having no legal sanction of a chairman’s quota.

After the High Court asked the housing board to complete the probe,government counsel urged the Bench to recall the order. The court will hear the case next week.