M A I N   N E W S

SAD, Congress men expose each other’s ‘murky’ land deals
Ruchika M Khanna & Sanjeev Singh Bariana/TNS

Chandigarh, October 7
Land in Punjab, especially land surrounding Chandigarh, is a veritable gold mine. Little wonder that politicians — across the political spectrum and having enough cash reserves — have for long been involved in realty business.

It now appears that many of the land deals by these politicians have not been above board. From undervaluation of land to getting it registered as agricultural or barren land, so as to evade paying higher stamp duty, these politician “realtors” are seemingly involved in several murky land deals.

The exposé on these land deals was brought out by Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Singh Khaira.

Though his target in the exposé was the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) treasurer and chief parliamentary secretary NK Sharma, Khaira had perhaps not realised that the realpolitik would also lead to many skeletons tumbling out of the Congress’ cupboard.

Minutes after Khaira alleged that Sharma had got 11 acres registered as agricultural land -- though around 650 flats had been constructed on it, the latter came back with reams of papers, procured from the Revenue Department, on land deals between Congress general secretary Fateh Jung Bajwa and Khaira, and those involving his brother and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Partap Singh Bajwa and the latter’s kin.

The Congress leaders have been accused of selling land in Mullanpur near Chandigarh at the existing market rates, but getting the sale deeds registered for land bought here at much lower prices than the market rates to avoid paying stamp duty.

Earlier, Congress spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira alleged that NK Sharma had not only evaded paying stamp duty by changing the nature of land he was buying, but of also undervaluing the price of this land.

Khaira said that Sharma was constructing a mega housing project on 11 acres in Zirakpur.

“Information obtained through Right to Information Act reveals that Sharma’s company, VN Sharma Builders Pvt Ltd, has got his land registered as “chahi” (agricultural) land in March 2013 whereas the revenue records (fard girdawri) show that about 650 flats had already been constructed on this land in 2012-13.

“Since this land was no longer agricultural land, he should have got it registered as residential land. However, since the land registration charges and stamp duty on agricultural land is much less than on residential land, he evaded paying additional stamp duty to the tune of Rs 4.5 crore,” Khaira said.

Khaira also alleged that Sharma’s company, in which he is director, also undervalued the land, showing its value as just Rs 25 crore, to pay less stamp duty on it.

Sharma categorically denied that he had either evaded stamp duty or undervalued the land, maintaining that he had struck a deal to buy agricultural land measuring 9.137 acres in 2010 and had the consent letters from the original land owners to use the land commercially.

“We had also applied for change in land use (CLU) and paid the external development charges (EDC) within months of buying this land.

He said that he was open to any investigation as his dealings were above board.

“Fateh Jung Bajwa sold a 13 kanal and nine marla plot to Khaira in Karoran village of Mohali at the rate of Rs 31 lakh per acre though the market price was Rs 2 crore per acre. Audit objections have been raised on this land deal and Khaira is facing an inquiry,” Sharma said.

Meanwhile, Fateh Jung Bajwa said, “In Bharojian, I exchanged my property with a piece of land in Delhi so we gave the exchange rate on papers. In the case of property of Pratap Bajwa, it was basically a forest land which even we did not know at the time of purchase. Since it cannot be used for normal agriculture or construction, its land value was very less”.