Haryana to probe Rs 3,000-cr land scam in Gurugram

The Haryana government would get an inquiry conducted into all land issues of Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh districts, including that of the multi-crore Gwal Pahari land scam, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said on Friday.

The Gwal Pahari land, which is estimated to be worth Rs 3,000 crore, has been in controversy in recent weeks following a move by authorities to allow change of ownership of the land.

Replying to a call attention motion in the Haryana assembly, Khattar said that the issue of Gwal Pahari land, which relates to a three-decade-old problem, could be resolved with the intervention of the Supreme Court.

"The Gwal Pahari land is a public property and would not be allowed to be transferred into the hands of private parties," the chief minister said, adding that no decision has been taken for the change in mutation.

Khattar said that in 1989, the then Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram Harbaksh Singh passed the first order on the Gwal Pahari land and since then the issue had been remanded several times in quasi-judicial courts.

"Now, by taking a historical decision, the present state government has abolished the 'Remand Pratha' to ensure that land-related disputes in the revenue courts could be settled at the earliest. Haryana is the first state in the country to implement this decision," Khattar claimed.

Haryana Urban Local Bodies Minister Kavita Jain said: "Whether on-ground or as per the revenue record, neither the ownership nor the possession of any part of the Gwal Pahari land in Gurugram has changed during 2016 or 2017."

"Any suggestion for any transfer of any land of the corporation to any private person or of any illegality or of any scam in this matter is clearly baseless and wrong. The Municipal Corporation, Gurugram, is taking and would continue to take all necessary steps to protect its interests in all its lands," the minister added.

--IANS

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