BSP govt’s transfer of irrigation dept land cost state Rs 2,642 cr: Shivpal

He said he wanted the land be given back to the Irrigation Department,as the Noida authority is likely to give this land to builders.

According to a CAG report,land was acquired during 1872 and 1887 for the construction of the Agra Canal system. Of this land,317.63 acres in South Delhi villages of Aali,Jasola,Jaitpur,Madanpur,Okhla and Saidabad remained unutilised and was of no use to the Irrigation Department. The UP government decided to transfer that land to Noida authority for development purposes in October 2008,the CAG report said.

In addition,the Principal Secretary of Irrigation Department ordered in January 2009 for the transfer of 195.309 acres of land located in Budh Nagar to the Noida authority. The government also directed to fulfill the legal formalities,including realisation of full cost of land,before the registration and transfer of possession of land in favour of authority,says the CAG report.

However,the record shows that in March 2010,the land was transferred to the Noida authority after taking an advance payment of only Rs 65 crore,against a cost of Rs 2,707.20 crore,the CAG report said. The executive engineer concerned transferred the possession of land to the authority without ascertaining its net present value at the current circle rates of relevant areas of Gautam Budh Nagar and the National Capital Region.

The CAG report also pointed out that financial rules provide that all government land and immovable property should be sold through the Revenue Department. These rules were not followed.

Mayawati spent
Rs 86 crore on bungalow: Govt

LUCKNOW: The state government on Thursday said the previous BSP government had spent a whopping Rs 86.56 crore on the maintenance and other construction works of former chief minister Mayawati’s 13-A Mall Avenue bungalow during its tenure. Minister of State for Protocol Abhishek Mishra replied to a question raised by SP MLA Ravidas Malhotra in the Assembly.

Regarding probe into the financial irregularities,if any,in this matter,he said the government has not received any complaints of financial irregularities in this matter and thus,it is not possible to comment on point relating to the financial irregularities as no audit of the fund spent was done.