The Hindu : Jagmohan defends land allotments

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 17, 2002

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Jagmohan defends land allotments

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI AUG. 16. The Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Jagmohan, today defended the allotment of prime land by the BJP-led NDA Government to a number of organisations with saffron connections.

At a hurriedly-called press meet here, Mr. Jagmohan, who was earlier the Urban Development Minister, virtually echoed the explanations offered earlier by his successor, Ananth Kumar, and the Lt. Governor of Delhi, Vijay Kapoor.

Many of the organisations which have been allotted land are affiliated to various Sangh Parivar organs. Some of them are allegedly run by close relatives of influential BJP Ministers or leaders. There had been a sudden spurt in the allotment of institutional land to various cultural, educational and other bodies with links to the Sangh Parivar or its outfits giving rise to a controversy.

All the allotments were made on merit and at approved rates. There was no irregularity at all. Everything was done strictly according to well-established norms and procedures approved by the Union Cabinet 50 years ago, he asserted while referring to the allotments made to different institutions in prestigious areas of south Delhi and New Delhi during his stewardship of the Urban Development Ministry.

Such allotments were made by the previous Governments too. The land was given to various organisations which fulfilled the criterion. The aspirants were recommended by the Ministry concerned enjoying administrative control over their activities.

Mr. Jagmohan gave out the names of other organisations which were given similar allotments by the Government and said they were doing good work. The ideology of an organisation never formed part of the criterion for allotment and nor was it considered, he said in reply to a question.

Responding to a question on whether the Ministry went by the seniority of an applicant, he said the cases were put up for allotment after processing them to ensure compliance with the criterion.

Though he maintained that everything was on record insofar as the dates of making the request for allotment and its grant by the Ministry were concerned, he was not ready to furnish documented information.

However, he said he could do so in specific cases besides looking into such instances where mala fide was alleged.

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