MoD to recommend ‘comprehensive’ action against scam culprits

“The Navy has submitted its report on the Adarsh Housing Society issue. We are studying the reports submitted by Army,Defence Estates and the Navy to collate all relevant information. The punitive action will come on Monday and it will be so comprehensive that it would prevent such scams from occurring in the future,” the official said.

The 31-storeyed building in upmarket Colaba with 104-apartments had provision for flats for Kargil widows and martyrs’ families,Army,Navy and Defence Estate personnel,both serving and retired,apart from politicians and their relatives who were allotted 40 flats.

Former Army Chiefs Gen Deepak Kapoor and Gen N C Vij,former Navy Chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh are among the allottees. They have since stated that they have surrendered their allotments.

Former Union Minister Suresh Prabhu of Shiv Sena and relatives of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan were among the allottees.

Some of the allottees from the services and defence estates were also part of the chain of command that had colluded” with Adarsh Society promoters to transfer the land from the Army’s possession and to obtain a no objection certificate (NOC).

The Navy had raised serious security concerns over the 31-storey building in a military zone,saying it compromised the security of several sensitive installations including a naval air base nearby.

Its report also noted that the building had come up within the security perimeter of its installations and it could be a high risk to its installations,as it was possible to monitor the activities of the naval base easily from the top floors.

In fact,the security concerns were shared by the Army too in its report submitted last week to the Defence Ministry,the official said,pointing out that it wanted the ministry to get to the bottom of the issue of how the land was alienated by officers posted in Mumbai in 1999.

The Army was in “de facto” possession of the 6,490-sqmt plot of land since the early 1940s and had used it as a training location for its troops in the metropolis,the official said.