The CBI has collected documents pertaining to the allotment of land to several leading real estate developers in Haryana from the revenue department of the state government as part of its investigations into the alleged irregularities in the acquisition of 400 acres of land by the private firms in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages in Gurgaon in 2007.
Sources said, “The agency sleuths are now scrutinising documents of the revenue department of the state government”. The CBI recently registered an FIR to probe the alleged irregularities in the acquisition of 400 acres of land — worth '1,600 crore — by the private firms in Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula villages in Gurgaon in 2007. The agency took over the investigation from the Gurgaon police in the case of alleged criminal conspiracy to cheat farmers with forged documents to acquire over 400 acres of land near Manesar. Soon after the scrutiny of all documents, the CBI will seek clarifications from the suspected public servants and private persons, sources added.
“The 400 acre land was allegedly purchased by builders at a cost of '100 crore against the market price of '1,600 crore. The CBI claims that in the alleged conspiracy, a loss of '1,500 was caused to the land owners of village Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula,” sources said. The case has been registered against unknown public servants of the Haryana government and private persons under various sections of Indian Penal Code.
There are allegations that private builders in conspiracy with unknown public servants of the Haryana government had purchased around 400 acres of land from the farmers and land owners of village Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula near Gurgaon in Haryana at throwaway prices. It is alleged that the acquisition was ensured by allegedly threatening the farmers that the government was trying to acquire the land.
“In this process, initially, the Haryana government had issued notification 4, 6 and 9 of Land Acquisition Act for acquisition of land measuring about 912 acres for setting up an Industrial Model Township at Villages Manesar, Naurangpur and Lakhnoula in Gurgaon district,” sources said. However, the state government withdrew the notification on August 24, 2007 and by that time, private builders had allegedly grabbed the land from its owners at meagre rates.
The agency alleged that the August 24, 2007 order was in violation of the government policy, in favour of the builders, their companies and agents, instead of the original land owners.
