By IANS,
Chandigarh : The Haryana assembly Wednesday set up a house committee to recommend steps for the takeover of trusts and societies linked to the family of former chief minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president Om Prakash Chautala.
The six-member committee, headed by Rohtak legislator B.B. Batra, comprises legislators Krishan Pal Gujjar, Gian Chand Oadh, Aftab Ahmed, Anand Singh Dangi and Dharampal. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 45 days.
Haryana assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma, who announced the committee here Wednesday, said that it will suggest steps to be taken on the recommendations of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for the state government to take over the trusts and societies under the control of the Chautala family.
Several acres of prime land in various parts of Haryana, including Gurgaon and the national capital region (NCR) region, were gifted by the Chautala government (1999-2005) to trusts under the control of his family. The CBI investigation into this had stated that most of the land was gifted to the trusts in contravention of rules.
Some of the trusts, like Chaudhary Devi Lal Memorial Trust, even got prime land in central New Delhi and Chandigarh at concessional rates from the then central government.
The total worth of the properties is said to be in hundreds of millions of rupees at today’s market rates.
Haryana’s Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said that the house committee can give its recommendation on whether the Haryana government should cancel the lands gifted to the trusts.
The CBI report, recommending takeover of the trusts, was also tabled in the house Wednesday.
In the report, the CBI said that its investigation established that Chaudhary Devi Lal Memorial Trust and Chaudhary Devi Lal Memorial Society are solely controlled by Chautala family in general and Abhay Singh Chautala in particular.
An official release of the state government, quoting the CBI report, said Wednesday: “The bank account is solely operated by Abhay Singh Chautala while the Vidyapeeth is managed by Ajay Singh Chautala as chairman. It has also reported that most of the donations shown in the records were noticed to be false, as majority of the listed donors denied to have donated any money in the name of the trust and society.”
“It was revealed that Jan Sewa Trust was allotted prime land in Wazirpur, New Delhi, and Udyog Vihar in Gurgaon for establishing printing press. However, huge buildings were constructed misusing the purpose of allotment of land and rental income is being generated for the properties,” the CBI report said.
The Haryana government had requested the central government in December 2005 for a CBI investigation into the trusts of the Chautala family following a charge sheet prepared by Congress legislator Shamsher Singh Surjewala.
The CBI filed its charge sheet in a Delhi court March 26, 2010.
The CBI court framed the charges regarding possession of assets disproportionate to known sources of income against Om Parkash Chautala and his son Abhay Chautala.