M A I N   N E W S

Four Haryana DCs say Vadra land deals clean
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 26
In a virtual clean chit to UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s businessman son-in-law Robert Vadra, district commissioners (DCs) of four districts in the National Capital Region (NCR) of Haryana have claimed that there had been no undervaluation of properties sold or bought by him or his companies since January 1, 2005.

Acting on the October 12 order of the now-transferred whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka, the DCs of Gurgaon, Faridabad, Palwal and Mewat, in their reports to the Haryana Government, asserted that Vadra had paid stamp duties in full on purchase or selling of lands in the NCR as per the then prevailing collector rates.

Khemka had asked the DCs to inspect documents registered from 2005 on behalf of Vadra or his companies in the capacity of vendor (seller) and vendee (buyer). Khemka had also cancelled the sale of over 3.5 acres of land to realty major DLF at Shikohpur (Manesar).

“In the four districts, the stamp duties have been paid over and above the collector rates in all the registries done by Vadra or his firms,” official sources quoting DCs’ reports said.

“All documents have been registered as per the collector rates for such deals by paying the stamp duty.

No loss in revenue has been caused to the state exchequer in execution of these deals,” the report of a revenue official of Palwal district said.

Official sources said the report would be submitted to three-member committee headed by Aditional Chief Secretary which was asked by state government to inquire into the issues raised by Khemka who was removed as Inspector General of Registration after he ordered a probe into all land dealings of Vadra.

Khemka, when contacted, said he could not comment on the issue since he was no longer Haryana’s Director-General of Land Consolidation and Land Records-cum-Inspector-General of Registration. Earlier, he had maintained that the aggrieved parties should approach the Punjab and Haryana High Court for remedy.

The Gurgaon DC, in his report, claimed that no undervaluation of the property was detected in the Shikohpur deal. The sale deed dated February 12, 2008, for purchase of an area of 3.53 acres in village Shikhopur between the Sky Light Hospitality Private Limited (a Robert Vadra company) and DLF Universal has been valuated at Rs 7.5 crore. The collector rate for the land was Rs 50 lakh per acre for the year 2007-08.The stamp duty for the 3.53 acres as per the circle rates/collector rates came out to be Rs 10.5 lakh whereas the purchaser paid Rs 45 lakh for this sale deed as stamp duty.

In subsequent transfer of the land vide sale deed dated September 18, 2012, for Rs 58 crore, the stamp duty for the sale deed as per collector rate of Rs 1.55 crore per acre for the year 2012-13 was Rs 25.97 lakh. The DLF paid stamp duty of Rs 2.90 crore, the DC said.

DC, Faridabad, also reported that an inquiry conducted by him through Sub Registrar, Faridabad/Ballabgarh and Joint Sub Registrar, Sohna revealed that the deeds in question were found to be registered in the office of Sub Registrar, Faridabad. No deed in the name of the said companies or person were found registered in the office of Sub Registrar, Ballabgarh and Sub Registrar, Sohna and no deficiency was found. Therefore, no loss of stamp duty or registration fee has been detected in district Faridabad on account of conveyance deeds.

Similarly, DC, Palwal, claimed Vadra paid over Rs 2.21 lakh as stamp duty for buying nine acres of land, though he was liable to pay only Rs 67,500.The total consideration of deal, executed on March 3, 2008, has been shown worth Rs 36.9 lakh against the then collector rate of Rs 13.5 lakh for a piece of 74 acres of land purchased by Vadra and his companies in Hassanpur village in Palwal.

Land measuring nearly 27 acres was purchased by Vadra as Director of M/s Real Earth Estates at village Shakarpuri in Mewat district and no under-valuation of the land was detected, the DC claimed.