The Haryana government today said the controversy regarding 464 acres land at Gwal Pahari in Gurugram will be probed into, even as Opposition MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly demanding a CBI inquiry.
Both the Congress and the INLD accused the BJP-led government of transferring the land belonging to Municipal Corporation of Gurugram to private parties.
However, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar denied any wrongdoing and said the land is public property and will not be allowed to be transferred to private parties. He told the House that all land issues in Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh districts will be inquired into.
The government faced an embarrassing situation in the House when BJP MLA from Gurugram, Umesh Aggarwal, said he will not let the land be "looted" and alleged that he was not being allowed to speak on Gwal Pahari land issue in the House.
Aggarwal had recently attack the BJP government by raising questions about the ownership of the land and had even written a letter to the Chief Minister in this regard.
Raising the matter through calling attention notice, Congress Legislature Party leader Kiran Choudhary alleged the land of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram had been given to private persons and is a "Rs 4,000 crore land scam".
Describing it as a serious issue, she sought CBI probe into it.
INLD MLA Zakir Hussain also termed it as a "big scam" and demanded an inquiry by CBI or under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1952.
Replying to the calling attention notice, Khattar said, "Enquiry will be conducted into all land issues of Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh districts including that of Gwal Pahari."
He said the Gwal Pahari issue involves property worth thousands of crores of rupees, could even go to the Supreme Court for settlement.
Khattar said in 1989, the then Deputy Commissioner of Gurgaon had passed the first order on the Gwal Pahari land and since then it has been remanded in quasi-judicial courts many times.
"The present government has abolished the remand system to ensure that land-related disputes in revenue courts can be settled at the earliest," he said.
Khattar alleged the previous Congress government had given 'no-encumbrance' certificate to Metro Valley Business Park for SEZ project despite 123 acres of land belonged to the forest department.
"The High Court orders in 2014 allow the SEZ developers to get approvals and get these renewed during pendency of the title case," he said.
Asked how the Chief Minister through his Chief Secretary passed instructions in this matter, Khattar said as per the Rules of Business 1977, the government can exercise general superintendence and control on any department.
Insisting that no decision was influenced, he said the decision to refer the case to the collector was taken in pursuance to two orders from the Centre.
"Now, as it is left to quasi-judicial authorities and
courts to decide title. The Municipal Corporation Gurugram and the state government will make all out efforts to protect its interest," he said.
State urban local bodies minister Kavita Jain claimed that physically or as per the revenue record, neither the ownership nor the possession of any part of the Gwal Pahari land has changed in 2016. The question of title of this land has been under litigation since the early 1980s.
Referring to the case of Metro Valley Business Park Pvt. Ltd. Vs. Union of India and others, the minister said the state had recommended extension of two years and nine months in implementation period of the SEZ on November 5, 2013. Based on this, Centre had extended the validity till May 5, 2014.
Upon receipt of two communications addressed to the state Chief Secretary, one from the Commerce Secretary and the other from the Secretary, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion which also had enclosed with it a representation from Metro Valley Business Park Pvt. Ltd., the matter was considered by the government, she said.
It was decided to recommend extension in implementation period of the SEZ for three years subject to furnishing of an legal undertaking that the company would comply with the court orders pertaining to the subject land and at their own risk and costs, Jain said.
The representation of Metro Valley Business Park Pvt. Ltd. Was forwarded to Deputy Commissioner, Gurugram for adjudication. His order on January 2, was appealed against by the MCG in the Court of Commissioner, Gurugram Division who stayed it on January 30, and later set it aside on February 23, she informed the House.
The minister said, "MCG has neither suffered any loss, nor there has been any change in the status of ownership, possession and nature of the land."
"Any suggestion of transfer of any land of the civic body to any private person or of any illegality or of any scam in this matter is clearly baseless and wrong," she said.
Intervening into the matter, BJP MLA Umesh Aggarwal said, "The order by the municipal commissioner of Gurugram says land mutation has no concern with the title of land and the Chief Minister is saying that mutation is now with MCG and so is the title. Both are contradictory. I will not allow the land in Gurugram be looted."
Earlier, he claimed, "Neither was I allowed to speak on budget discussion nor on Governor's address."
Former chief minster and Congress MLA Bhupinder Singh Hooda asked Khattar to get the issue of title decided first.
Thereafter, heated exchanges ensued between the treasury bench and the Opposition members. Both INLD and Congress MLAs sought a CBI probe into the matter and staged a walkout.
The MCG had recently sent notices to people to vacate 464 acres of land in Gwal Pahari. The entitlement of the land and the mutation has been in dispute for over three decades.
Gwal Pahari is part of the Aravali range with the Gurugram-Faridabad road passing through it. Due to its prime location and scope for development, it is much sought after by developers and realtors.
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Earlier, when Kiran Choudhary was asking questions on her calling attention notice, treasury benches objected to it, saying the Congress MLA should first read out the notice and then ask questions.
Haryana minister Anil Vij asked Choudhary to follow the rules, inviting strong reaction from Opposition members. Heated exchanged ensued between Vij and Choudhary over their remarks against each other which were later expunged by the Speaker.
Interacting with mediapersons after the conclusion of the Budget Session of the Assembly, Khattar said cases related to Gwal Pahari land and several other villages of the area are pending in court for the the last many years. Of these, some cases go to revenue court and some to civil court.
Therefore, the state government has got a Bill passed in on March 3 to abolish the remand system for speedy disposal of revenue-related cases, he said.
"Whether the cases are sent to the High Court or the Supreme Court, those should be disposed of promptly, as it is said justice delayed is justice denied," Khattar said.
Inquiry, not only into Gwal Pahari land issue, but also of other lands on the demand of the MLAs would be conducted so that no one can usurp public property, he said, adding the state government has a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption.
