New Delhi, Nov 4 (PTI) The Congress on Wednesday accused Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of auctioning Uttarakhand's priceless government land and its British-era heritage buildings and handing them to private parties at "throwaway prices".
There was no immediate reaction from the BJP or the Dhami government over the allegations.
Congress general secretary in-charge Uttarakhand Kumari Selja said "Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami alone is guilty of auctioning Uttarakhand's priceless government land and its British-era heritage buildings.This is not a fabricated charge of the Congress; it is the truth recorded in the Government's own files," Selja said at a press conference held at the party's 24 Akbar Road office.
"Mr. Dhami took away from the Cabinet the final authority to hand over land and property, personally granted the final approval on every major land file, and is himself the Chairman of the very board that receives the land," she alleged.
Selja claimed that corruption is rampant in Uttarakhand and across the entire state, there have been such dealings at 40 places where Dhami "handed over lands to private individuals at throwaway prices".
These include government lands, heritage properties, and lands connected to projects, she said and accused Dhami of having completely turned into a "property dealer".
Today, across the entire state at various places, our leaders and the common people are holding sit-in protests against this corruption, Selja said.
"The question is -- can the Chief Minister alone be given so much authority that he keeps doing such things without taking any advice from the cabinet or the departments?" she said.
In Uttarakhand, through two signatures of Dhami, 1,080 acres of land from various departments have been handed over to the Uttarakhand Investment and Infrastructure Development Board (UIIDB), she claimed.
The surprising thing in this matter is that both decisions -- who to take the land from and who to give it to -- will be made solely by Dhami, Selja said.
"Now, tenders have been issued to hand over land to private individuals, which include 14 acres of Patwa Dagar land and the Alaknanda Hotel," she said.
In fact, the government does not want to work for the people through the land bank; it is simply handing over lands to private individuals at throwaway prices instead of market rates, she alleged.
In Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, 633 acres of IDPL land has been handed over to UIIDB, she claimed.
In addition, 142 acres of land in Mussoorie and 25 inspection bungalows existing from the British era at various locations have been handed over, Selja alleged.
"In Nainital, the sewage plant for the hotel has been shifted. Forest land in Ramgarh has also been given away, which cannot be given to anyone. The land of Patwa Dangar is being given at 5 rupees per square meter per year, and there is information that preparations are being made to give it to one of the country's very large groups," she said.
"In Vikas Nagar, 190 acres of land at Dak Patthar was collected by Nehru Ji himself by requesting people, and instead of returning it to the people, it is being handed over to other people," Selja claimed.
"Our objective is to remove Dhami from Uttarakhand and to save the state's land," she asserted.
Section 28 of the UIIDB Act states that for the monetisation of any property, it is necessary to have the consent of the departments along with the state government, the Congress leader said.
But here, everything is being run entirely on one person's whims, because Pushkar Singh Dhami has taken everything into his own hands, she said.
"We will meet the Honourable Governor regarding this matter, present all these points before him, submit a memorandum, and appeal for action to be taken," Selja said.
"If no action is taken in any way, we will take the legal route, we will go to court," she added.
"Congress workers of the State will fight to their last breath to save Uttarakhand's land, identity and property," Selja asserted.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)