JAIPUR: The report Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) submitted to the urban development and housing (UDH) department on Monday about the alleged land-for-land scam has noted the incriminating involvement of third-party officials along with those from government departments, said sources.
Sources said several officers who used to work as consultants for JDA through private firms were found influencing the acquisition process that took place over the last five years. “Such officers comprised city planners, architects, real estate builders and brokers. They had colluded with JDA officials and had either manipulated the prices of the land that was acquired or had given reports stating that JDA should acquire private land for certain projects even when doing so was unnecessary,” said a JDA official.
Officials familiar with the contents of the report said it called for a “proper investigation” into the process of allotment of land for most projects under the state government’s land-for-land scheme in the last five years. On January 9, UDH minister Jhabar Singh Kharra had raised questions on land allotments under this scheme and put a temporary ban on it.
“The scam pertains to the land allotment process in Ring Road projects. However, the report mentions that there are questions over the way land was allotted under this scheme at Vidhyadhar Nagar and even at Prthviraj Nagar,” said a JDA official.
In 2018, the state government had implemented this policy to hand over government land, instead of money, as compensation in cases where the government needed to acquire private land.
“There were allegations that in February 2021, JDA officials acquired land from brokers and developers to build sector roads in Sanganer area adjacent to Ring Road and handed over prime government land in exchange. Officials involved in the deals violated the policy,” said a UDH department official. TNN
