RAM TEMPLE TRUST DENIES GRAFT CHARGE, GIVES DETAILS OF LAND DEAL
LUCKNOW: The trust overseeing the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya said on Tuesday that all land purchase deals were done transparently and dismissed allegations of corruption levelled by Opposition parties. The Sri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust tweeted details of all agreements of the 1.2080-hectare land in Ayodhya’s Bag Bijaisi since 2011. The body said the land was in a “prime location”. The trust said three separate deals were struck over the last decade and added that the trust bought the land on March 18 at ₹1,423 per sq ft, lower the market rate. “All individuals were contacted and negotiated with,” said the trust. “As and when the previous agreements were finalised, the trust made the agreement with final owners...,was done quickly but in a transparent manner” it added.
The controversy broke out on Sunday after former Samajwadi Party MLA from Ayodhya, Tej Pratap Pandey, and AAP Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Singh, accused the trust of purchasing land worth ₹2 crore for ₹18.5 crore.
The two leaders alleged that on March 18, Kusum Pathak sold her land for ₹2 crore to Sultan Ansari and Ravi Mohan Tiwari, who sold it to the trust for ₹18.5 crore 10 minutes later. They also said that the circle rate (price per unit of land fixed by government) of the plot was ₹5.79 crore. To be sure, agreements are often struck at prices far above the circle rate.
Since then, Opposition parties have demanded a probe but the trust said that the price of the land was decided between Pathak and Ansari-tiwari in 2019 but the land was registered on March 18.
It added that two transactions occurred on March 18: from Pathak to Ansari-tewari, and Ansari-tewari to the trust.
On Tuesday, the trust said on March 4, 2011, Mehfooz Alam, Javed Alam, Noor Alam and Firoz Alam signed an agreement with Kusum Pathak, her husband Harish Pathak and Mohd Irfan. The deal lapsed on March 4, 2014.
On November 20, 2017, the same four people registered a sale deed with Kusum and Harish for ₹2 crore.