Allotment of land to bureaucrats
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: The State Cabinet, which has been kept in the dark about the controversy over the allotment of land to civil servants in the State, is likely to take up the issue for discussion on Wednesday.
The controversy came to the fore after the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, in its report for the year ending March 31, 2011 stated that there was unauthorized allotment of land to the Civil Service Officers Housing Co-operative Society Ltd (CSOHCSL) as well as incorrect fixation of premium at a lower rate resulting in undue financial benefit of Rs 78.42 lakh to the society and allotment of land in excess of the prescribed limit.
Another peculiar situation that has come to light is the anomaly in the replies to the Principal Accountant General (Audit) AWK Langstieh on November 22, 2011 by P Naik, Principal Secretary Urban Affairs department, wherein he claimed that the issue of allotment of land to the officers was discussed in the Cabinet meeting held on August 9, 2008 as an informal item.
“Action points arising out of the cabinet decisions need not be placed again in the Cabinet unless specifically directed by the Cabinet,” Naik had claimed.
According to Naik, the Minister of Urban Affairs was the competent authority to allot the land in the new Shillong Township till the constitution of the Land Allotment Committee in 2009 by the Urban Affairs department with the Urban Affairs Minister as the Chairman.
While informing that the number of applicants is around 100, he had said that each of them would be allotted a plot of land measuring around 5000 sq ft.
“This is in confirmation with decision of the Chief Secretary after review that the upper limit for the plot should not exceed 10,000 sq ft per member,” he had said.
Interestingly, the CAG in its report had stated that there no supporting document provided by the Government to support that there was review on the part of the Chief Secretary to fix the upper limit for the plot should not exceed 10,000 sq ft.
Meanwhile, in another letter written to Senior Deputy Accountant General AP Chophy in December 10, 2010, the Urban Affairs department Officer on Special Duty (OSD) T Lyngwa had informed that the land was allotted to the society in May 2008 by the then Urban Affairs Minister who was the competent authority at that time.
“As the land was allotted on lease and not through a sale deed to the society the ownership of the land lies with the Government so it may not be proper to compare the cost of acquisition of land to the amount of lease,” Lyngwa had said.
He further said that the Government has been providing land on lease to various social, cultural, religious organizations, traditional institutions, schools, political parties among many others even as stating that the Government have also provided land on lease to various Government departments, public and semi-public institutions free of cost from the acquired land in new Shillong Township area.
“The Land Transfer Act will not be applicable since the proposed land which has been given on lease to the society is a Government land. The Government is not unstrained by the permission of the Land Transfer Act,” Lyngwa had said.