Early Times Report
SRINAGAR, Dec 19: The Punjab National Bank (PNB) has slapped a notice on Highland Automobiles---an automobile business venture of the prominent cleric-politician and the opposition People’s Democratic Party's sitting MLA Maulvi Iftikhar Hussain Ansari's family---asking the proprietors to deliver possession of the secured assets for failing to liquidate a cumulative liability of Rs 13.34 Crore. The amount includes the capital loan and the compound interest accrued thereon.
"…The amount due to the bank has not been paid till date. We have therefore, decided to take possession of the secured assets…," reads the PNB notice that has been issued days after a court vacated the stay order of a lower court. A former Minister, who has served as MLA and MLC for several terms since 1970 and one of the most influential Shia religious leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Ansari is currently in the United States of America for the treatment of cancer detected on him in August this year. He is reportedly recuperating after a critical surgery in Miami.
The possession of secured assets which the bank is scheduled to take over include five storied building including basement, occupied by Bharti Airtel and two-storey building with attic having main showroom of Maruti and single-storey workshop building, two-storey building having denting/painting and accessories office at Sonwar Srinagar leased by the State government in favour of M/S Ansari Motors with land measuring 8 Kanals and 7 Marlas under survey number 394/204/13, 396/15 and 398/16.
The other secured assets which are going to be taken over by the PNB include a three-storey residential building and land underneath measuring 4 Kanals at Rampora, Chattabal, Qamarwari, Srinagar in the name of Abid Hussain Ansari under survey number 699/75, 701/76, 1047/78 and 703/77.
A plot measuring 4 kanals at Rampora, Chattabal, Qamarwari Srinagar in the name of Dr Amjad Abbas Ansari under survey number 1047/78, 1072/696/74, 1077/709/79, 1079/711/80, 1081/715/82 and 1085/724/86 also includes in the secured assets mentioned in the PNB notice.
PNB has also decided to take over the possession of 9 Kanals of land alongwith workshop, showroom, etc at Estate Chaanni Rama Jammu in the name of Shri Abid Hussain Ansari under survey numbers 301, 308, 305, 306 and 304. Showrooms, service and sale centers of Maruti Udhyog Ltd have been operating on the mortgaged assets at Sonwar in Srinagar and Chhanni Rama in Jammu. Even as Maulvi Iftikhar Ansari and his two sons have set up a separate automobile business near the Fruit Mandi at Parimpora on the National Bypass in Srinagar, his brothers Maulvi Abid Ansari and Dr Amjad Ansari continue to be the owners and proprietors of the three-decades old Maruti dealerships, under the titles of Ansari Motors and Highland Automobiles at Sonwar, and also in Jammu.
Pertinently, an operation on a similar notice served to the company by the Bank on October 6, 2009 was stayed by a city court in Srinagar but the petition filed by the company against the bank was later dismissed by the court of principal district judge Srinagar vide its order dated September 26, 2013.
The bank has now approached the police to depute their personnel to avoid breach of peace and any untoward incident. "You are herby called upon to deliver possession of the secured assets above detailed before December 20, 2013 failing which I, the undersigned, as authorized officer of PNB (secured creditor) will take possession of the above said secured assets on or after December 26," reads the PNB notice issued by Rajinder Singh, the authorized officer of the bank.
Maulvi Iftikhar Ansari had been earlier last year selectively targeted among more than 50 defaulters of Srinagar Master Plan by the Omar Abdullah government. His family alleged that then Speaker of Assembly Mohammad Akbar Loan was settling personal scores and resorting to vendetta against the opposition MLA in demolishing an automobile showroom allegedly constructed in violation of certain laws and the Master Plan. However, other identical illegal structures and showrooms were not touched on the Bypass. Finally, a court stayed the demolishing operation for which Srinagar Municipal Corporation, Srinagar Development Authority and Police had made all preparations.
The Ansari family has been previously in bad news on account of non-payment of Sales Tax arrears running into Crores of Rupees. The family contended that the calculations made by Commercial Taxes Department were flawed and erroneous. However, the family was forced to pay different amounts of money pending reconciliation with the department. For years, the Ansari family also remained entangled with the infamous Sidhra Housing Scam. However, the charges established by one inquiry were contradicted by Justice KK Gupta Commission and finally the case against the Ansaris failed in a court of law. |
