Politicians,babus,Army bent rules to grab Adarsh land: CAG

The CAG said welfare of servicemen and ex-servicemen was used as a ruse to grab piece of public land for the Society. It said the entire episode reveals “glaring examples of dereliction of duty and severe lack of probity and accountability which needs to be seriously investigated.

“Action of the Local Military Authorities acting in collusion with Defence Estates Organisation (DEO) enabled misappropriation of prime government land in Mumbai for the benefit of a select few,” it said.

The report said these officials were “responsible for protection of defence land and they betrayed the trust reposed in them for the personal benefit of a number of favoured individuals — all of whom are highly placed”.

The auditor pointed out that the membership of the society kept expanding where “junior service and civilian officers went out of the society and many senior service officers and public servants became members”.

“Notable among Service officers who became members of the society at a later date were two former Army Chiefs,General N C Vij and Deepak Kapoor,” it said.

The CAG said the two Generals were allowed to be members of the Society as “one time special case” in view of their service to the Army and special status in society.

“In the name of welfare of servicemen and ex-servicemen,it was the select elite belonging to services and civil administration,politicians and individuals connected with them who benefitted from this misappropriation of public property,” it said.

The membership of the society in 2000 was 40 and reached 102 in 2010. Some of the significant members include Admiral Madhavendra Singh,Lt Gen G S Sihota,Rear Admiral R P Suthan.

Highlighting the role of the Maharashtra Government and Environment and Forest Ministry in the episode,the CAG said,“They aided and abetted by relaxing regulations and turning a blind eye to construction of a 31-storey building in heart of

Mumbai not far from Mantralaya.”

The CAG said the Environment Ministry certainly “either failed or consciously decided” not to apprise the state government of the extant provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications.

The CAG observed that in its communications with the state and central governments to seek concessions,the ACHS described its members as those “who have dedicated their lives for the motherland” and “heroes of Kargil war”.

The auditor said those in positions of responsibility should have sensed that the concept of the Society was “flawed as very few war widows or ex-servicemen would have had the financial capacity to pay for an apartment at such prime locality.”

The CAG said its report details how public servants entrusted to safeguard national interest facilitated a private housing society to obtain NOC from the Army,modified

development plans and NOC for residential development in CRZ area.

It said the ACHS episode reveals how a group of select officials,placed in key posts,could subvert rules and regulations to grab prime government land — a public property — for personal benefit.

“They resorted to falsification of records,suppression of facts,ruse of welfare of servicemen and their widows and children and flouting of rules,” it said.

The auditor noted that “not taking exemplary remedial and punitive action which would serve as a deterrent,would seriously corrode the credibility of the government and laxity in follow-up would encourage similar attempts in future.

“It is for the Parliament and the government to ensure that public trust is not betrayed,” it said.

On the suggestions to demolish the building in view of the irregularities,the CAG said the suggestion was probably made in haste. “To raze it to the ground would compound the problem,” it added.