Shimla, March 31 Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta on Tuesday dismissed the allegations related to the Chester Hill housing project in Solan as baseless, asserting that the truth will prevail once the investigation is completed.
Gupta was speaking at a press conference a day after the CPI(M) claimed violation of land laws in the project and demanded an investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into alleged land mafia activities, including benami land deals, in the state.
Alleging violation of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act, the Left leaders said that a fair investigation is impossible unless the chief secretary is removed from his position. Section 118 restricts the purchase of land by non-Himachalis without prior permission.
The issue concerning Chester Hill also resonated in the Himachal Assembly again on Tuesday. Senior BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti raised this matter in the House under a 'Point of Order' following the Zero Hour.
He urged the chief minister to call for the inquiry report prepared by the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Solan pertaining to the acquisition of 274 bighas of land in alleged violation of Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Reforms Act and initiate an investigation into the matter.
He said that the issue demands an investigation by the Income Tax Department and the Enforcement Directorate.
Interacting with the media here on Tuesday, Chief Secretary Gupta alleged that two former IAS officers and an engineer are behind the "conspiracy" to malign him as he had lodged complaints against them while serving at the Electricity Board.
Former CPI(M) MLA Rakesh Singha had on Monday claimed that investigations by the Sub Divisional magistrate (SDM) into the Chester Hills project revealed several irregularities during the land acquisition and benami land transactions.
Gupta asserted that he has absolutely no connection to the project, which he said was approved by former chief secretary Shrikant Baldi during his tenure as the head of RERA (Real Estate Regulatory Authority).
He said the allegations against him "are entirely unfounded and baseless".
"The matter is currently under investigation and the truth will eventually prevail," he said.
On questions about the purchase of land in Kharar in Punjab, Gupta said that he bought the land for Rs 1.38 crore using his own personal funds and had all the necessary documents. He said that he duly obtained all requisite permissions from the government for this land acquisition.
When asked about the allegations, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said that he has no prior knowledge of the issue. He added that if any irregularities are discovered in the case, action will be taken in accordance with the rules.
Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said that "serious allegations have been levelled against the chief secretary who has now levelled counter-allegations of corruption against other officials".
"The chief minister has maintained silence over the issue claiming to be unaware of the details," he said.
The BJP MLAs have also raised this issue twice in the House, demanding an explanation from the government regarding the alleged violation of Section 118.
"We simply do not believe that the CM is unaware of this fact. Is the head of the state truly uninformed about his own top bureaucrat?" Thakur said.
"The CM is completely compromised and unable to take any punitive action," the BJP leader alleged.