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This is an archive article published on September 4, 2009

Party gunning for him,Mollah says will probe Vedic Village row

Facing severe criticism from within the party,West Bengal Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah now plans to conduct an inquiry into the “illegal land conversion” in the Vedic Village township area....

Facing severe criticism from within the party,West Bengal Land Reforms Minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah now plans to conduct an inquiry into the “illegal land conversion” in the Vedic Village township area. The party is reportedly unhappy over Mollah’s report and has asked for a clarification regarding his ministry’s involvement in converting agricultural land to “homestead” land. Changing the character of the land is impossible without the consent of the Block Land Reforms Office (BLRO),directly monitored by Mollah’s ministry.

“I plan to conduct an inquiry to unearth the truth,” said Mollah. “A top official can hold the inquiry,” he said. “I want to know what actually happened at the grassroots level. If it is proved that the Land Department officials were involved in the case,action will be taken against them,” he added.

Earlier,the party had asked Mollah to clear doubts regarding his “favour” towards Raj Kishore Modi,the managing director of Vedic Spa Resort. Mollah had allowed Modi to get 44 acres of land vested with the government at a price much lower than the market rate. Mollah had submitted his report to CPM state secretary Biman Bose on Tuesday. Sources in the party said though Mollah claimed that the deal was fair,a section of top bosses in the party was not convinced.

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“The minister’s logic was that the company physically changed the character of the land and there was no way it could be distributed to the landless people. But how was the company allowed to construct there without an official conversion certificate?” asked a senior party leader.

A section of Land Department officials is also surprised how builders constructed on the land without the consent of the BLRO office. “If any of the plots got mutation and conversion certificate from the BLRO office,the Land Department will not be able to deny responsibilities,” said an official.

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