Raj land deal: Former min alleges 'political vendetta'

Former Rajasthan UDH minister Shanti Dhariwal, who has been summoned by Anti-Corruption Bureau in connection with irregularities in a land deal, today said that he was being "unnecessarily linked with the matter".
Dhariwal also alleged that the whole issue was initiated against him by former IAS officer Lalit K Panwar in 2005.
He, however, said that he has no fear of ACB and will appear before the agency on October 16, while demanding strict action against Panwar, currently the RPSC Chairman.
The former Urban Development and Housing (UDH) minister is accused of illegal transfer of lease deed of a cooperative land to a private firm.

"Lalit Panwar was the Commissioner of Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) in 2005, who was approached by the company to issue single deed of the cooperative land to a private company for construction of flats.
"He sought recommendations from cooperative department, law department and building plan committee and finally sent the recommendation to the state government to issue a single lease deed," Dhariwal said at a press conference.

The matter was referred to the government because the land was above 1,500 sq yards, he said.
In the meantime, Panwar was shifted to UDH department as Secretary and his department turned down the recommendation in 2005.

"What was the reason that recommendations of the JDA and building plan committee to issue the single lease was turned down by the UDH department in which Panwar was secretary, despite the fact that Panwar was the JDA Commissioner when the recommendations were made?" Dhariwal questioned.
He said that although it was noted on the file that that the deed should not be issued, but did not mention any reason.
"It all happened in 2005 during the first stint of Raje government. The company owner Shailendra Garg approached the Congress government in 2010 and again filed an application to issue single lease deed.

"He concealed the facts that former government had in 2005 rejected his application and also got related files misplaced," the former UDH minister said.
JDA started the process and when the file came to Dhariwal, he asked the officials to review the matter in light of a high court judgment related with cooperative lands.
"The file came to me again with noting of officers, saying that the deed may be issued so I also cleared the file and the lease was issued. The lease was issued in 2011," Dhariwal said.