Crucial file relating to HUDA land allotment 'missing'

CBI today claimed to have recovered Rs 85 lakh cash from alleged beneficiaries of HUDA land allotment scam in which industrial plots in Haryana were purportedly given away at throwaway prices even as a crucial file related to the allotment process is "missing".
CBI sources here said during searches on May 21, the agency had recovered Rs 85 lakh from the premises of Panchkula residents Anupam Sood and Sachin Sood, while Rs 6.25 lakh were recovered from Mona Devi and Rs eight lakh from Nandita Hooda, all believed to be beneficiaries of plot allotments.
They said the agency has included an IPC section related to destruction of evidence.

Haryana Police is also looking for the file which carried details of allotment process through a separate FIR.
The agency has registered a case for alleged irregularities in allocation of industrial plots at Panchkula when the then Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the chairman of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA), a move dubbed by him as "personal vendetta".
Explaining the case, CBI sources said in one instance 2000 sq m of industrial plot was given at meagre Rs 60 lakh which was much lower than the market rate.

The case which was handed over from Vigilance Bureau of Haryana to CBI has named "the then Chairman of HUDA", three former bureaucrats, 13 beneficiaries and unknown officials of the authority and state government.

The chief minister is the chairman of HUDA.
After registering the case on May 16, CBI carried out searches at 16 locations including Chandigarh, Panchkula, Faridabad, Delhi, Gurgaon, Karnal, Kurukshetra and Rohtak against the former bureaucrats and beneficiaries who are alleged to have used their "links" in getting industrial plots at Panchkula.
According to the FIR, industrial plots were given to 14 people by allegedly manipulating certain provisions of allotment which included allowing them to submit their applications even after the last date of submission ended.
The 14 people who had been alloted lands had submitted their applications on January 24, 2012 whereas the last date of submission was January 6, 2012, the FIR alleged.

The former chief minister, while reacting to the CBI move, termed it as "personal vendetta" and alleged that these cases were only "diversionary tactics" being adopted by BJP- led government in the state.
"They have not been able to fulfil any of the promises made so far. So they are diverting the people's attention through such cases which is purely witch-hunting," he claimed.