Begun Process to Cancel Vadra Firm’s Land Rights: Haryana Official

Skylight Hospitality & DLF’s land deal mutation was cancelled in 2012 by 1991-batch IAS officer Ashok Khemka.

The Haryana government has begun the process of cancelling the licence given to Robert Vadra's Sky Light Hospitality to develop land that was later transferred to realty major DLF for Rs 58 crore, officials said on Thursday, 19 September.

Director of the state’s Town and Country Planning Department K M Pandurang said the procedural formalities to cancel the licence have been completed keeping in with provisions of the Haryana Development and Regulation and Urban Areas Act, 1975.

The formalities include serving notices on the coloniser and giving it an opportunity to be heard.

"We have to follow procedure of cancellation which we are following and the formalities have been completed. We gave them notice and hearing opportunity, which has concluded. Now, we have to take a decision and that process is on," he said.

He said the decision was likely to be taken soon.

Pandurang, however, did not disclose what replies the other party had given in response to the opportunity of being heard.

He said the mutation of the land was set aside by the then director general, consolidation of holdings in 2012, thus affecting the title of the land. “There were issues regarding title of the land,” he said.

Notably, 1991-batch IAS officer Ashok Khemka had shot to limelight in 2012 when he cancelled the mutation of the land deal between Skylight Hospitality and DLF.

A year ago, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said the licence for the land in Gurgaon’s Sector 83 which was sold to Skylight Hospitality and then transferred to DLF was “deemed to have lapsed”.

The licence for the land parcel had not been renewed, Khattar had then said.

On reports claiming that the DLF has been paying the government for renewal of the licence, Pandurang said, "We will see what we will do in this regard."

The BJP has alleged there were irregularities in the land deal involving Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi, during the term of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in the state.

Reacting to the development, state Health Minister Anil Vij said, "Everyone knows about irregularities that were committed in various land deals during the Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led regime."

"During the previous regime, those who were favourites of the powers were benefited. When the BJP came to power, we brought in transparency in every sphere of governance and put a stop to such irregularities that were committed earlier. Now, this is the reason why BJP is set to return to power in the state with a thumping majority," he said.

The 3.5 acre land was alleged to have been bought for Rs 7.5 crore by Vadra’s company and later sold to DLF for Rs 58 crore after getting a licence to develop a colony.

Haryana is slated to go to polls next month and the development will be a boost for the BJP, which made it a major poll issue in 2014 as well when it ousted the Hooda government.