A day after blowing the whistle on a major land scam involving the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) under the state urban development department, state land and land reforms minister Abdur Rezzak Mollah took a complete U-turn on Tuesday. “Neither do I know anything nor have I said that the KMDA did not follow the rules. How can I comment on this? I need more time. Everything will be clear once I get the report,” Mr Mollah said.
His change in stand came after it was found that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has sought a report from state urban development minister Ashok Bhattacharya. “Whatever I have to say will be in the report to the chief minister. The money neither went to my pocket nor to my house. The land was used for the development purpose,” Mr Bhattacharya said.
Significantly in the party circles, Mr Bhattacharya is said to be close to the chief minister while Mr Mollah is a critic of the chief minister’s land acquisition policy. On Monday, Mr Mollah had said that the KMDA has leased out a major portion of the 100 acres vested land to the real estate developers in between Parama Island and Garia off EM Bypass which was given by his department to the statutory body for the construction of road and infrastructure development. He had also added that his department would demand the market price of the land from the KMDA after it submits the report.