DEO changes tack,now says Army owns Adarsh land

In A U-turn,the Defence Estate Officer — who earlier claimed that there were no records to show that the controversial Adarsh land belonged to the Army — has now said that the Government of India’s survey plan of 1957 shows that the plot was indeed in the Army’s possession.

Claiming she had not been briefed by her predecessor and seniors,DEO Geeta Kashyap told the Adarsh inquiry commission that she agreed with the opinion that two plots,Block VI and the Adarsh land,had been occupied by the Army since 1938-39 and therefore belonged to it. However,Kashyap maintained her previous stand that there was no entry in the military land register.

Kashyap,who brought on record maps to establish her claim,said more maps are available with the department and will be furnished before the commission soon. She had earlier told the commission that the land where the controversial Adarsh Housing Society stands belongs to the Maharashtra government.

Her claim has been contrary to the Ministry of Defence’s claim that the land was the Army’s property. Kashyap,the second witness to depose before the commission,had from the beginning maintained that as the land belonged to the Maharashtra government,the Army never tried to claim it.