Congress questions J&K BJP leaders buying land near ammunition depot

The Congress on Monday accused Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Nirmal Singh and state's Deputy Chief Minister Kavinder Gupta of endangering security near an Army ammunition depot by buying land in its proxmity and asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi will take action against them.

Addressing a press conference here, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said that Himgiri Infrastructure Development Pvt Ltd, owned by Gupta, Singh and BJP MP Jugal Kishore, had purchased an 12-acre land in 2014 next to Army's ammunition depot at Nagrota in Jammu and Kashmir.

Surjewala said Singh started constructing his house on his 2,000 sq.mt plot at a distance of 530 metre from the outer wall of the ammunition depot at a village in Nagrota Tehsil and had rejected the serious concerns raised by the corps commander.

Singh, he said, had dismissed the opposition to the construction as "politically motivated" and had alleged that the local residents felt "harassed" by the Army.

He said Himgiri Infrastructure owns Rs 29.31 crore to Jammu and Kashmir Bank and the account was declared a non-performing asset in December last year.

Surjewala said Rs 18.50 crore along with cash credit facility of Rs 56.83 crore was sanctioned for Himgiri in 2012 for part-financing a power project in Chmaba district of Himachal Pradesh. He said Singh was Deputy Chief Minister earlier and also had power portfolio.

"Will the Prime Minister, who seeks votes in the name of Army, take action against BJP's Deputy CM, Speaker and other leaders for blatantly endangering national security by their illegal activities. Will they resign," Surjewala asked.

He said there were reports that illegal constructions near Army camps had helped terrorists in staging some terror attacks and asked why the BJP-PDP government allowed construction near the depot and would it be stopped now.

"Will the Modi government wake up from deep slumber and act against their own," he asked.

--IANS

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