Irregularities in Old Grant Bungalows at centre of probe led by Defence Estates Director

Top officials privy to the details of the investigations say that such dealings could not have taken place without not just the blessings but connivance of those within the system. One of the immediate fallouts of the investigation has been sealing of four OGBs in the Pune Cantonment area, which are believed to have a total value close to Rs 350 crore.

During the sealing of these properties, Ray has also ordered filing of First Information Reports (FIRs) in connection with the unauthorised sale of these four properties located in Pune Camp, sources said. These FIRs are yet to be filed by the officials concerned.

Old Grant sites are a legacy of the pre-­independence land policies aimed at providing accommodations to military officers.

The pre-independence governments of Bengal, Madras and Bombay presidencies had issued various rules and regulations between the years 1789 and 1899. Under this, officers were granted licences of land sites, on which they could build houses. No right of property for the land was however granted to them.

Later, civilians were also allowed to build such houses on lands belonging to the state, but these houses were to be hired by the local military authorities.

Such lands were allowed to be transferred from one military officer to another. For structures owned by the civilians, such transfer would mandate approvals of the local authorities. The Comptroller and Auditor of General of India has in the past reported several instances of irregularities in OGBs in cantonments across India.

Pune Cantonment Board jurisdiction has close to 300 OGBs while the Khadki Cantonment Board has around 60. The investigation till now by the Defence Estates Office of Pune Circle has brought to light irregularities in connection with at least 20 properties in Pune Cantonment.

These irregularities include use of residential premises for commercial purposes, unauthorised constructions done under the garb of minor repair and in some cases unauthorised sale of these properties. The four properties that were ordered to be sealed are among these properties. Officials said that the investigation is ongoing.

Along with the sealing of four properties, Ray has written to the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) of Maharashtra seeking sensitisation of all registrars and sub-registrars that no such sale of lease and old grant properties on defence land inside Cantonment areas should be registered and such cases be referred and brought to the immediate notice of Defence Estates Officer, Pune Circle and Cantonment authorities concerned.

Officials said that it has been observed in some of the cases that occupants claim to have no successor to the property and sell it to private developers. In some other cases, occupants secure a nod from concerned authorities for minor repairs but submit a building plan to the cantonment authorities. They then sell the property to the developers and apply for the change of title to the Ministry of Defence as the procedure mandates.

Sources close to the investigation said that none of these moves are possible without the connivance of those inside the system and that regular review of the status of all these properties is the need of the hour.

As the investigation led by Ray progressed, he was given additional security cover by Pune City police following the threat assessment in the backdrop of the sealing of the four OGBs and scrutiny of other highly valued properties.

Meanwhile, in a latest development in the case, a Civil Court in Pune on Tuesday granted the interim injunction sought by a Holder of Occupancy Rights to reopen the lock and seal of an OGB on Napier Road, which was one of the four properties sealed following the investigation.