Land to Choksi in TS under scanner
IT FAILED to utilise a major portion of the land allotted even after a decade. The government plans to take back the vacant land.
The Telangana state government has sought reports from revenue officials, the Ranga Reddy district administration and the TS Industrial Infrastructure Corporation on irregularities in land allotments to the Gitanjali Group owned by Mehul Choksi, the maternal uncle of Nirav Modi, in the Rajiv Gems Park SEZ in Ravirala on the city’s outskirts.
The Congress government in 2005 allotted 95 acres to the Gitanjali Group in the Rajiv Gems Park SEZ after the company promised to set up jewellery and watch manufacturing units, training centres for manufacturing jewellery and cutting and polishing of diamonds.
The Telangana state government has sought reports from revenue officials, the Ranga Reddy district administration and the TS Industrial Infrastructure Corporation on irregularities in land allotments to the Gitanjali Group owned by Mehul Choksi.
The company did not fulfil its promise and also failed to utilise a major portion of the land allotted even after a decade, and instead got `120 crore from the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) by mortgaging the land.
Official sources in the revenue department said that the company made use of only 30 acres and 65 acres is lying vacant. The government plans to take back the vacant land which now costs `1.50 crore per acre.
The company was allotted land for just `4 lakh per acre in 2007 when the market price was `50 lakh per acre.
The government has the power to take back unutilised lands from industries by issuing notices.
The Congress government had allotted 4,000 acres mostly on the city’s outskirts for Special Economic Zones and industries. Many industries failed to take off or used the land for other purposes.
The government took back 448 acres from 95 industries and another 250 acres allotted to Indutech SEZ was cancelled.
Nearly 700 acres has been taken back from 205 industries and another 600 acres is in the process of being taken back from another 150 industries.
“We are inquiring into the details of the terms and conditions set for allotment of land in 2007, how the allotted land is being used now and what procedures were followed for registration of land in 2014. We will seek legal opinion on how to go forward in resuming the unutilised lands from the Gitanjali Group” said E.V. Narasimha Reddy, vice chairman, TSIIC.
Though the land was allotted to Gitanjali in the Rajiv Gems Park SEZ in 2007, it was registered in the name of the company in a hurry just before the bifurcation of the state in 2014, which raises suspicion about what prompted the officials to expedite the process, and that too is being inquired into.