JMC Assets Scam Further allotment stayed, 8 weeks’ time for producing allotment policy

JAMMU: Coming heavily upon the Jammu Municipal Corporation for ‘biased’ allotments of flats at meager rates, the state high court on Friday imposed a ban on any allotment of its assets till next date of hearing, while giving a final opportunity to the government to produce before it the policy or procedure for allotment-cancellation/-transfer within eight weeks. The matter was posted for further hearing on September 21.

The court was hearing a much publicized Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking quashment of orders whereby JMC has allotted 10 Municipal Flats situated at Gandhi Nagar, Jammu allegedly on pick-and-choose basis to its ex-employees and some private persons.

The court serious note of the casual approach of the Housing and Urban Development Department which despite given numerous opportunities has failed to submit the requisite affidavit. The notice in this PIL was initially issued on December 29, 2017.

The counsel for petition argued that the beneficiaries of the instant allotment scam are high profile officers of JMC and also a Former Commissioner/Secretary Housing and Urban Development Department and for this reason all out effort is being made to shield the erring officers who had facilitated illegal allotments of prime assets of JMC in favour of the employees of the Corporation.

“JMC further continued to extend their allotments and not only this the allotments have been further extended for 40 years at a meager rent of Rs.600 to Rs.900 per month that too for prime municipal flats situated at Gandhi Nagar, Jammu,” the counsel submitted, referring to the reply affidavit filed by JMC wherein the names of the beneficiaries were indicated, including Jeet Lal Gupta (IAS) Former Commissioner/Secretary, H&UUD, RS Jamwal (KAS) Former Joint Commissioner (Adm) JMC, Madan Mohan Khajooria Ex-PA to Commissioner JMC, Bharat Bhushan (Driver) JMC, Surinder Kumar PSO to Commissioner/ Secretary, H&UDD, Balbir Singh (Driver SUDA), Narinder Sharma (President NGO-PEACE), one Chain Singh and Kharati Lal.
It also came to fore that the list of illegal allottees of JMC assets consists of over 600 names.

A Division Bench of the State High Court comprising Justice Tashi Rabstan and Justice Sanjay Gupta today in the open court directed Senior AAG S.S. Nanda and Advocate Sachin Gupta appearing for JMC to file their response to the fresh Miscellaneous Petition seeking production of the entire records of 600 allotments made by JMC.

The Division Bench took serious note of the lapse on the part of JMC and H&UDD in non-formulation/ finalization of any policy despite the lapse of more than one year and also took serious note of the non-assessing of market rates of rent of the municipal properties.

After considering the submissions of both the sides, the court directed that JMC shall not make any allotment(s) to any other persons of its assets till next date of hearing while also granted eight weeks as last and final opportunity to Senior AAG S.S. Nanda appearing for GAD and Financial Commissioner H&UDD to produce before the Court the policy or procedure for allotment/cancellation/transfer on the next date of hearing i.e. September, 21, 2018.

The Division Bench also granted time to Sr. AAG S.S. Nanda and Advocate Sachin Gupta to file their response to the fresh miscellaneous petition seeking production of the records pertaining to 600 such allotments.