‘Hooda released land without dept permit’

The then CM passed orders regarding the release of land on his own volition and there were no recommendations from the industries department for release of land

CBI CHARGE SHEET

CHANDIGARH: The CBI has accused former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of ordering the withdrawal of acquisition proceedings for Manesar land despite no such recommendation by the industries department or Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC).

“The then chief minister passed orders regarding the release of land on his own volition and there were no recommendations from the industries department for release of land,’’ the CBI charge sheet said. Hooda could not be reached for comments despite repeated attempts.

The 600 acres being acquired by the industries department for the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) since 2004 for creating residential and recreational utilities in Industrial Model Township (IMT), Manesar, was dropped from the acquisition proceedings in 2007.

The CBI accused the former chief minister and his aides of dropping the acquisition proceedings to help real estate builders. It is alleged that the builders forced farmers to sell land at throwaway prices under the threat of acquisition.