Bhandari in the dock, UP shows file on Indira plot

The Uttar Pradesh government today made public a file that showed former governor Romesh Bhandari’s approval to a proposal to change the land use of the plot allotted to Indira Gandhi Pratisthan to a five-star hotel.

A statement issued by the Mayawati government, with file pages showing Bhandari’s seal in January 1997, said: ‘‘In his own handwriting, Romesh Bhandari approved the proposal to change the complexion of Indira Gandhi Pratisthan by giving the land to the private sector for a hotel with 200 rooms.’’

Yesterday, Bhandari had dared the state government to make the file public. Ironically, today’s statement said the government has decided to ‘‘honour the request’’.

Earlier, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi had written to PM Vajpayee asking him to stop Mayawati from extending the Ambedkar Park project into land kept for Indira Gandhi’s memorial. But Mayawati had argued that the plot was vacant for the last 20 years and its land use had been changed to allow a five-star hotel by Bhandari.