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This is an archive article published on May 12, 2012
The scam
Preliminary investigation revealed that some officials in connivance with the land mafia issued 70 NoCs to private parties to sell more than 200 acre of the 2,300-acre
The scam
Preliminary investigation revealed that some officials in connivance with the land mafia issued 70 NoCs to private parties to sell more than 200 acre of the 2,300-acre Srinagar Air Force Station and Srinagar International Airport. The land had been sold to private individuals by the land mafia who bribed their way through the Defence Estates Srinagar Office and the JK governments Revenue Department. Those who bought the land were intending to rent out the same land to the Defence Estates department,despite the fact that Ministry of Defence had already acquired this land five six decades ago.
How it started?
After a formal complaint was received by Defence Ministry about illegal sale of defence land around the Srinagar airport from 2002-08,the ministry conducted preliminary enquiry. Gross irregularities were detected in the issuance of NOCs by Defence Estate officials. The ministry then handed over case to CBI.
Those involved
In December 2011,a high level team of CBI led by SP A K Chand visited Srinagar and Budgam districts of the Valley. The CBI officials examined records of the DGDE and questioned officials of Defence Estates and Revenue department of Jamp;K. During the investigations,the CBI found gross violations.
Names in the FIR
The CBI has registered a case against Ajay Chowdhary,a 1997-batch Defence Estates official; the then SDO-I,DEO,Srinagar; SDO-II,DEO,Kashmir Circle,Srinagar and other unknown public servants/private persons.
The ramifications
The sale of land to private owners posed a security threat to the strategic Army installations and the airport itself.
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