Defence land records to go online: Antony

“We had several rounds of discussions with the armed forces and have taken the decision. We will also change the policy of giving NOCs so that nobody can play with it,” Antony said here,adding that loopholes are being plugged so that no one can tamper them at the “lower level”.

Antony said that his ministry is taking action on all complaints,but emphasised that vendetta would not be tolerated. “Our approach is not to cover up,there will be no mercy to the guilty but there will also be no vendetta,” he said.

The minister was responding to questions over what initiatives his ministry has taken in the wake of a number of scandals involving NOCs by top officers of the armed forces. The first was the Sukna scandal in West Bengal — first reported by The Indian Express in October 2009 — in which two lieutenant generals are currently facing court martial for granting NOCs to a private builder. The latest land scandal reported by The Indian Express on Wednesday,is regarding the sale of a 1 acre plot in Kandivili,on rent with the Army since 1942,to Neo-Pharma of the Kalpataru group by the Maharashtra government.

Commenting on the Kandivili scandal,in which the names of former Minister Rao Inderjit Singh and former Army Chief Gen. Deepak Kapoor have cropped up,Antony said,“We have already received the report and we are examining it.”

Antony also said that strict action would be taken against all erring officials but specified that his ministry is yet to receive the CBI inquiry report into the scandal over the Adarsh housing complex,also in Mumbai. “The CBI is already carrying out investigations. We are expecting them to soon file a report in this regard,” he said.