M A I N   N E W S

CHANDIGARH SKYLINE IN DANGER: A TRIBUNE INVESTIGATION - IV
See who profited
The list of beneficiaries of the Tata housing project reads like the who’s who of Punjab politics. Here’s the complete list and what they did to get there
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 19
The biggest money spinner in the region is the shrinking land in and around City Beautiful. Little wonder then that all big names in the real estate sector in the country want to get into this lucrative realty market, which in turn provides a perfect opportunity to local real estate agents, land aggregators and consolidators to make their millions by selling off land to the big daddies of the realty world.

The Camelot project by Tata Housing Development Company (THDC) in Kansal is a perfect example of how the real estate business works in this region. It was a local real estate agent who approached the Tatas in 2006, and suggested that the Tatas join hands with the Punjab MLAs society, The Punjabi Cooperative House Building Society and Defence Services Society, to set up an integrated project in Chandigarh, adjacent to Sukhna Lake. This developer not just made his millions by getting the land consolidated for THDC and arranging the land deal, but is also one of the main brokers for selling the project to investors.

The real estate development arm of Tatas, THDC, was roped in, allegedly with an assurance that since all bigwigs across the political spectrum-from the (then) ruling Congress to the Shiromani Akali Dal, the Bhartiya Janata Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the CPI were members of the society, the project would have no problem in taking off and later the apartments would sell like hot cakes, considering proximity to Chandigarh.

The Tatas were one of the four real estate developers to approach the MLAs society and the Defence Services Society, to get the 53 acre land jointly owned by the two societies. The plotting of the land was already done and in 2006 when the deal was being finalized, THDC was assured by the local real estate developer that the project site had a clear land title and had no legal incumberances. With the then bigwigs of the ruling Congress like Perneet Kaur, Congress MP and wife of then chief minister Amarinder Singh, MP Santosh Chaudhary, state ministers Avtar Henry , Tej Prakash Singh and Ramesh Chander Dogra, being members of the society, the project was envisaged as a sure shot hit.

So even as the Congress lost power to the Akali- BJP combine in 2007, this new political leadership in the state had its own interest in ensuring the project remained on steam, as over half the members belonged to the SAD- BJP alliance. After all, each of these members was getting a four bedroom flat and Rs 82.50 lakh in cash. These include (now) deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh, ousted finance minister Manpreet Badal, local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia (incidentally, it is Kalia’s department that has given all clearances to the Camelot project and played around the rules to give it a legal status), ministers Gulzar Singh Ranike, Parminder Singh Dhindsa Vidhan Sabha speaker Nirmal Singh Kahlon and deputy speaker Satpal Gosain. So even as the Congress lost power to the Akali- BJP combine in 2007, this new political leadership in the state had its own interest in ensuring the project remained on steam. After all, each of these members was getting a four bedroom flat and Rs 82.50 lakh in cash.

As part of the joint development agreement signed between THDC, Hash Builders and the two above mentioned housing societies, THDC was to construct the property and make part payment to the high profile members of the two societies. Hash Builders, through its marketing arm, RMC Infrastructure, was to first sell the project to investors, and the advance thus obtained from these buyers was to be used to pay the balance money to the members of MLA society and Defence Services Society ( 260 members). THDC has reportedly paid two tranches to the MLA society members (a total of Rs 33 lakh to each member).

At the time when Joint Development Agreement was signed between THDC, Hash Builders and RMC (India) Infrastructure Ltd, there was a ban on construction of high rise buildings in this region. Interestingly, this land was purchased by the two societies from the original land owners over a period of five years - from 1997- 2003. Some of the land that the society bought was actually a part of the village common land ( jumla mushtarka malkan). However, these politicians amended the by laws and got this land transferred in the name of the society. This amendment in laws also reportedly aided the Defence Services Society.

(To be concluded)

DGP submits irregularities about
project to High Court
Saurabh Malik
Tribune News Service