Delhi: Reacting to Comptroller and Auditor General's report blaming Haryana's previous government led by then chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda for showing undue favours to Robert Vadra in his multi-million rupee controversial land deal with realty giant DLF, Congress said on Wednesday that there was no indictment of the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi or any company related to him.
“Contrary to what is said in news reports there is no indictment of Robert Vadra or any company related to him,” said Congress leader RS Surjewala.
He also said, “Truth is, no law has been violated and no company has been benefited,” as per ANI.
Later the official Twitter Account of Indian National Congress also tweeted Surjewala's comments:
Randeep S Surjewala's statement on allegations that INC govt in Haryana granted undue favour to Sh Robert Vadra or Skylight Hospitality
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
This news story is neither borne out from record nor founded upon correct facts. we must examine the following incontrovertible facts
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
Firstly, Principal Accountant General, Haryana has neither indicted previous Congress Government of Haryana nor Shri Robert Vadra (1/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
or Skylight Hospitality Private Limited for any violation of the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Haryana Development (2/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
There is no such finding of wrongdoing as is being sought to be alleged.
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
Secondly, condition qua deposit of profit beyond 15% applies only to completed projects. It does not apply to ongoing projects (1/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
which are permitted to be sold/transferred in accordance with the Haryana Act of 1975. (2/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
As Skylight Hospitality Private Limited had sold/transferred its licence for 2.7 acres of land without completing the project, (1/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
this condition did not apply at all. Hence, no law, rule or policy was violated by Government of Haryana. (2/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
Thirdly, since inception of Haryana and enactment of the Act of 1975 i.e. in last 40 years, (1/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
Government of Haryana has not received a single rupee in revenue towards 15% profit clause. (2/2)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
That under Section 3(7) of the Haryana Act of 1975, a developer of a colony could either deposit profit beyond 15% (1/4)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
or deposit infrastructure augmentation charges in lieu thereof notified as Rs.5 lakh per acre. (2/4)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
For 2.7 acres licence of Skylight Hospitality Private Limited, this figure, at best, comes to Rs.13.5 lakh. (3/4)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
According to previous Congress Government, this amount was not got deposited as project was not completed (4/4)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
Fourthly, to the best of our knowledge, Principal Accountant General, Haryana sought clarifications on the above issues by due notices (1/3)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
issued to BJP Government of Haryana. For apparent politically motivated reasons, they chose not to reply or bring on record the (2/3)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
aforesaid incontrovertible facts and statutory provisions leading to finalization of interim preliminary objections of PAG, Haryana.” (3/3)
— INC India (@INCIndia) March 25, 2015
"Undue favours" to builders, including Vadra's Skylight Hospitality, by the Haryana Government during the Congress regime has come under attack from the CAG.
In its report for the year 2013-14, tabled in the Haryana Assembly today, the official auditor has come down heavily on the Town and Country Planning Department.
"....The department neither at the time of granting in-principle approval nor at the time of formal approval for transfer of licenses ensured that net profit beyond 15 per cent of the total cost accrues to public exchequer. This enabled the developers to earn huge profits merely by selling the land while the government had to forego sizeable amount," the CAG report said, as per ANI.
The BJP and other Congress rivals had trained their guns on the previous Hooda government accusing it of showing favours to Vadra, in his land deal with DLF.
Though the report did not name Vadra, his company, Skylight Hospitality, was named. Skylight Hospitality, the report noted, sold a prime 3.5 acre piece of land in Manesar in Gurgaon district to DLF in 2008 for Rs 58 Crore
Earlier, senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka had ordered the scrapping of the land deal, terming it as illegal. However, the previous Hooda government gave clean chit to Vadra in the land deal.
Pointing out irregularities in the development of internal circulating and approach road, CAG observed that as per existing practice the commercial sites should be approachable through internal roads.
In the case of Skylight hospitality private limited, the site was not approachable, the CAG noted.
The department, however, decided (March 2008) to waive this condition on the ground that the approach would be taken by the licensee through the plotted colony of Onkarshewar Properties Pvt Ltd and Mark Buildtech Private Limited in collaboration with Vatika Land base.
CAG further said that as per final development plan of Gurgaon-Manesar 2012, area falling under roads was not to be calculated towards net planned area and only benefit towards Floor Area Ratio (FAR) was to be given for transferring the land falling under roads.
"While this principle was applied in 12 cases, the net area indicated against each of these applicants was after deducted the area under sector roads etc, whole area including the area falling under roads has been indicated in respect of Skylight Hospitality.
"It was not clear as to why such a distinction had been made in respect of Skylight," the CAG report said.
(With Agency inputs)
