Legislators misuse allotted land, Gujarat CM leads from the front

Legislators misuse allotted land, Gujarat CM leads from the front
DARSHAN DESAI

GANDHINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 10: While the Gujarat government has not made any public offer for sale or auction of plots in the state capital Gandhinagar for the past 10 years, a large number of plots allotted to the charmed circle of MPs and MLAs are either lying vacant or have been sold and converted into commercial complexes.

Over the years, these representatives of the people were allotted plots on concessional rates ranging from Rs 100 to Rs 300 per sq m while the current market rate ranges from Rs 3,000 to Rs 5,000 per sq m. Some of them have been given plots much bigger than their entitlement.

Take Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel's case, for instance. He was allotted a 330-sq m plot -- 558/B in Sector 22 -- when he was an MLA in 1980. Today, a six-flat housing complex, called Arihant Palace, stands on the plot.

Four of the flats have already been sold, while one is vacant. The Chief Minister's family has retained one flat for itself. This correspondent went there as a potential buyer to make inquiries and a resident claimed that one of the flats was recently sold for Rs 6.5 lakh.

While the Chief Minister refused an appointment to discuss the issue, officials say Patel's action is illegal. Going by the rules, allottees can construct a house only for their own use on such plots and the land cannot be used for commercial purposes.

Union Home Minister L.K. Advani, who happens to be the local MP, also owns a plot -- No. 1083, Sector 2, measuring 330 sq m. It was allotted to him on May 10, 1993 but is still vacant. Under the rules, it is mandatory for the allottee to get the building plan approved within six months, construct the house and obtain the completion certificate within two years.

Patel is not the only one who has got away with building more than one house on the plot. Over the years, many allottees have turned their land to commercial use. They submit a building plan in conformity with rules, get it approved from the office of the Chief Architect and Town Planner and then build whatever they like and get away with it.

Parmanand Khattar, Minister of State for Urban Development (Independent charge), former Congress MP from Kutch Haribhai Patel and former state Finance minister in the RJP regime Babubhai Meghji Shah (from Kutch) are also among those whose plots are allegedly used to construct apartment buildings.

This correspondent found an apartment scheme under advanced stage of construction at Plot No 30, Sector 19, which has been allotted to Shah. However, Shah was not available for comment despite repeated attempts.

Khattar's plot number is 1063 and that of Patel is 1062. Though construction activity is on the plots, sources say the plots have been sold. While Patel could not be contacted, Khattar denied that any apartment scheme was being built on his plot and claimed he was constructing a house for himself.

In fact, sources say that officials go out of the way to put their stamp of approval on the illegalities. For instance, the completion plan of Keshubhai Patel's Arihant Palace -- as approved by the office of the Assistant Town Planner, on November 3, 1988 -- talks of ``four dwelling units'', which is not permissible.

Minister for Capital Projects Narottam Patel admitted that many plots had been misued for commercial purposes, but added: ``We will take action if we receive a complaint.''

Interestingly, while many MPs and MLAs have sold their plots, the transaction is difficult to prove. Most of them have not transferred the ownership, but issued an irrevocable power of attorney in favour of the buyer. Even the plot on which Arihant Palace stands is still in Keshubhai Patel's name.

The power of attorney serves other purposes as well. It helps in getting aroun the condition that a plot cannot be sold until the allottee has built a house and lived there for five years.

Although government rules say that MPs and MLAs are entitled to plots of 330 sq m each, many of the have been allotted bigger plots. Among them are Finance and Revenue Minister Vajubhai Vala (655 sq m, Sector 19), Minister of State for Urban Development, Parmanand Khattar (540 sq m, Sector 2), Narmada Development Minister, Jaynarayan Vyas (702 sq m, Sector 1), former chief minister Dilip Parikh (705 sq m, Sector 1), Haribhai Patel (442 sq m, Sector Two), Arvind Patel (764.40 sq m, Sector 19), Porbander MP Gordhan Javiya (468 sq m), Power and Petrochemicals Minister Kaushik Patel (702 sq m), and Amreli MP Dilip Sanghani (769.50 sq m).

Narottam Patel admitted that ``some exceptions'' had been made, ``but we charged them for excess land at the normal rate''. But plots aren't available at the normal government rate to anyone else because no public offer has been made in the last 10 years. In fact, the last open auction of plots was held in 1990. ``We are going to auction end-plots soon,'' he added.