Sumit Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 6: In the backdrop of the much publicized case of JDA's land grabbing row in which a senior bureaucrat allegedly grabbed JDA land, illegally, at Trikuta Nagar, constructed house and got telephone towers installed on the said plot and enjoyed handsome rent out of it , the Vigilance Organization Jammu has written to Reliance telecom company directing it to stop paying rent to the Vinod Sharma (Director ERA Safeguards) as the land belongs to the JDA.
The Vigilance Organization has also sought the details from the telephone company of the total amount paid to the the Director ERA till date. As per communiqué to the telephone company by the Vigilance Organization, " Vinod Sharma, the then VC JDA and Director ERA at present and his wife Mamta Sharma, presently posted at KV 1, Gandhi Nagar are getting huge amount as rent from the towers, illegally, instead the rent should have been received by the JDA, Vinod Sharma, has put the state exchequer i.e. JDA to huge loss".
This communiqué has also been forwarded to the Court as status report by the Vigilance Organization. In the status report, the Vigilance Organization said that the investigation in the case is being conducted on the priority basis.
Pertinently, ET in its July 5, edition having caption 'Case registered in 2014 but Director ERA still enjoying rent out of telephone towers' , had reported that that though the land is belonged to the JDA ,but the accused couple (Vinod Sharma and his wife )still are getting hefty amount from the telephone companies as rent, as Vinod during his tenure as VC JDA got the two telephone towers installed in the said piece of land.
Worthwhile to mention here that the JDA land scam came to limelight after The Jammu and Kashmir State Vigilance Organization booked seven persons, including Director of Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) Vinod Sharma, for alleged illegal allotment and grabbing of a prime land of Jammu Development Authority (JDA).
The case was registered after an inquiry was conducted into the allegation of illegal allotment of a plot at Sector 1-A Trikuta Nagar in Jammu and grabbing of an additional land. Vigilance Organization registered case FIR No.18/2014 u/s 5(1)(d), read with 5(2) J&K P.C.Act Svt.2006 and 120-B RPC in Police Station Vigilance Organization, Jammu on the basis of verification conducted into allegation of illegal allotment of Plot No. 42 Sector 1-A Trikuta Nagar Jammu and grabbing of additional land against Vinod Kumar Sharma, then AEE/VC JDA, K.L Vuthoo, then VC JDA (now Rtd), Prith Pal Singh Betab, then Secretary JDA (now Rtd), L.K. Mengi the Executive Engineer, JDA (now Rtd), Satish Nehru, then DLM JDA, Romesh Koul, then CTP JDA (now Rtd), Smt Mamta Gupta (Sharma) w/o Vinod Sharma and other officers / officials of JDA.
Vigilance in its inquiry has found that during the year 1980, JDA acquired land from various persons / land owners for developing housing colony at Trikuta Nagar, Jammu. As per Govt Order No 171 UD of 1984, it was directed to allot a residential plot to the 38 families from whom the land was acquired at Channi Rama against a payment of Rs 3,000/- per Kanal as rehabilitation charges. Prem Nath whose land was also taken by JDA approached for allotment of a plot in his favour but the allotment was delayed for unknown reasons. Vinod Kumar Sharma, Ex- Vice Chairman, JDA who remained posted in JDA from 1997 to 2011 in different capacities (except the period from July 2006 to May 2010) developed a greed to grab the plot and managed to persuade Prem Nath through one Kewal Krishan R/O Purani Mandi to take Rs 3 Lakhs from him in lieu of plot of land measuring 5400 sq.ft. which was to be allotted in his favour. A lease deed stands executed between JDA and Prem Nath. However, before execution/registration of said lease deed, said Prem Nath was made to sign power of attorney where under he empowered Mamta Gupta w/o Vinod Sharma as sole attorney of said plot. This Power of attorney has been produced and registered before Court of Sub Registrar, City Jammu on the same day on which lease deed was registered. In this way in pursuance of well planned conspiracy the accused grabbed JDA land worth lakhs of rupees.
Enquiry further revealed that after taking illegal possession of said plot, Mamta Gupta (Sharma) with the active connivance and help of her husband Vinod Sharma managed to grab illegally an additional land of 5200 sq.ft. thereby making a total illegal possession of 10600 sq.ft. |
