Bihar Chief Secretary Anoop Mukherjee on Monday gave a clean chit to ministers and bureaucrats in the alleged Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) land allotment scam. The CS report,submitted to the Chief Minister,however,remained silent on revision of land allotment rules (not revised since BIADAs inception in 1974) that follows the first come,first served norm in case of one applicant and internal bidding in case of more than one applicant for the same plot.
Principal Secretary,Industry,C K Mishra,who released the report,said: The CS report,which scrutinised cases in question,found that land allotments were made as per BIADA provisions and no political influence was used. Confirming land allotments to daughters of ministers Parbeen Amanullah and P K Sahi and to the son of JD(U) Jehanabad MP Jagdish Sharma,the report denied any influence by these politicians. The report denied that other allottees under question were related to CM House Secretary S Siddharth,IG (Prisons) Anand Kishore and BJP MLC Awadhesh Narain Singh.
Mishra said BIADA allotted 121 plots during the last two years.
Asked why BIADA rules are not uniform and why the agency cannot follow open tendering for more transparency,Mishra said: There is no inconsistency. Except in 2007,there has been no tendering ever. BIADAs motto is to encourage investment promotion. He requested the media not to disturb the new Bihar environment of development.
The report said that Social Justice Minister Parbeen Amanullahs daughter Rahmat Fatima was first allotted land at Pataliputra Colony but as the Public Health and Engineering department did not vacate the allotted land,Fatima was allotted a two-acre plot at the rate of Rs 13,31,193 per acre on July 14 at Bihiya to start a unit to make squash,syrups and sattu.
The CS report said Rahul Kumar,son of MP Jagdish Sharma,was allotted 15,500 sq ft land at Hajipur for Rs 46,33,845 on August 13,2010. The report said Rahul Kumar,a postgraduate in marketing and HR,had got the plot as per BIADA rules.
Nibhi Industries Private Limited owner is not related to Siddharth,as reported. CSs OSD spoke to the firm owner,who denied to have known or ever met Siddharth, said the report.
Mother Teresa Medical Trust,allotted 87,120 sq ft land on August 25,2010,has no links with Anand Kishore,said the report.
BIADA Managing Director Anshuli Arya said 350 land allotments were cancelled because of non-compliance of rules.