Yog Raj Sharma
The North News
Shimla, February 17
Allegations of illegal land transactions echoed through the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly on the second day of its Budget Session, as a Congress lawmaker accused a former Uttarakhand bureaucrat of involvement in benami property deals.
Raising the issue during Question Hour, Rakesh Kalia, who represents the Gagret constituency, alleged that a former Chief Secretary of Uttarakhand had acquired land through proxy arrangements around Gaggal airport in Kangra district.
Kalia claimed that the former official had earlier purchased land in Gagret and was now involved in similar transactions near the airport. He further alleged that black money was being converted into legitimate funds through brokerage activities and that money was being transferred to Uttarakhand. He also referred to a fraud case worth Rs 8 lakh registered about a year ago, alleging that no action had yet been taken.
The legislator urged the state government to initiate a thorough investigation into the matter.
Responding to the allegations, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said the government would examine the claims and take strict action if wrongdoing was established. He stated that if benami transactions were proven, the land would be seized and taken over by the government.
Sukhu announced that a Special Investigation Team (SIT) would be constituted to probe the allegations. He also asked the MLA to provide documentary evidence to him and the Director General of Police to facilitate the inquiry.
The Chief Minister said further action would follow based on the findings of the SIT.
