Land scams mark ’10 for armed forces
The defence ministry and the Armed Forces were stung by the scam in Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai involving top serving and retired generals in 2010, leading to the case being handed over to the CBI for investigating the rot in the system of defence land management.
Former Army Chief General Deepak Kapoor and General N.C. Vij, along with retired Navy Chief Admiral Madhavendra Singh, were named as some of the beneficiaries of the 31-storey apartment building that reportedly came up on an Army land within the security perimeter of critical naval installations in upscale Colaba.
Apart from the generals, the housing society scam scalped its first political victim in then Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan, whose family members were also part of the flat allottees in the 103-foot high rise overlooking sensitive security establishments. After the navy leadership in Mumbai shot off a letter to the defence ministry seeking a probe, it came to light that some serving Army officers had allowed the building to come up in 2003 right under the military authorities’ nose, leading to the ministry asking the CBI to probe the case.
Separately, the Army also ordered a court of inquiry against serving officers, including the then Mumbai area Army commander Major General R.K. Hooda.
That apart, the Sukna land scam in West Bengal in which some top Army officers from the military station in Siliguri district had issued a NOC to a private builder for constructing an educational institution continued to keep the defence brass on the tight rope.
After a court of inquiry, Gen. Kapoor had to order disciplinary action against his military secretary Lt. Gen. Avadesh Prakash, who too had retired just about a month earlier. Court martial was also ordered against Lt. Gen. Prakash, as also Lt. Gen. P.K. Rath, who was the station commander when the Sukna land NOC was issued to the private builder in 2009.
Post new comment