1983-2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 The following is the list of alleged scams submitted by the Congress to the Gujarat governor and the president: Land for Nano plant at low rate The state government allotted 1100 acres of land to Tata Motors Ltd (TML) to set up the Nano plant near Sanand. The land was allotted allegedly at Rs900 per square metre while its market rate was around Rs10,000 per square metre. Simply put, the government gave Tata Motors total monetary benefit of Rs33,000 crore. Land sold cheap to Adani Group Land was allotted to Adani Group for the Mundra Port & Mundra Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at Re1 per square metre. This is grossly lower than the market rate. Cheap land for ind, not for airforce The Gujarat government allotted 3,76,561 square metre of land to real estate developer K Raheja at Rs470 per square metre, while the South-West Air Command (SWAC) was asked to pay Rs1100 per square metre for 4,04,700 square metre land. Agricultuure University land allotted for hotel State government allotted 65,000 square metres of land belonging to Navsari Agriculture University in Surat to Chatrala Indian Hotel Group for a hotel project despite objection from the institute. This deal was allegedly brokered by the chief minister through his office causing a loss of Rs426 crore. Border land for chemical firms A huge plot of land near the Pakistan border was allotted to salt chemical companies said to be close to BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu. Essar Group's encroachment State government has allotted 2.08 lakh square metres of land to Essar Steel. Part of the disputed land is CRZ and forest land that cannot be allotted as per Supreme Court guidelines. Land given to Bharat Hotel Prime land was allotted to Bharat Hotels without auction on Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway in Ahmedabad. The company has been allotted 25,724 square metre land. Corruption in allotment of lakes State government, in 2008, awarded contracts for fishing activities in 38 lakes without inviting any tenders; bidders were ready to pay Rs25 lakh per lake. Land given to L&T Larson & Toubro (L&T) was allotted 80 hectare land at Hazira at the rate of Re1 per square metre. Land allotted to other industries Instead of auctioning prime land in the major cities of the state, the Gujarat government had allotted the land to some industries and industrialists who had signed MoUs in the five editions of VGGIS. Cattle feed fraud The Gujarat government had purchased cattle feed from a blacklisted company at Rs240 per 5 kg whereas the market rate is just Rs120 to Rs140 per 5 kg. Scam in Anganwadi centres Two bidders apparently formed a cartel and bid for supplying supplementary Nutrition Extruded Fortified Blended Food (EFBF) to Anganwadi centres of the state. One company bid for three zones, while the other for only two. Guidelines were violated, causing the state exchequer a loss of Rs92 crore. GSPC Despite an investment of Rs4933.50 crore, GSPC has been able to earn only Rs290 crore from the 13 out of 51 blocks of oil and gas discovered by the company. Contractual relations of Geo-Global and GSPC deserve investigation since Geo-Global is to be hired for a higher fee, above profit-sharing. Luxury aircraft used by CM Instead of using commercial flights or state-owned aircraft and helicopter, chief minister Narendra Modi had used private luxury aircraft for around 200 trips in five years. The cost had been borne by the beneficiary industries. Rs500 crore SSY scam The Rs6237.33 crore Sujalam Sufalam Yojana (SSY) announced in 2003 was to be completed by 2005 but it is still not completed. Public accounts committee of Gujarat assembly unanimously prepared a report indicating a scam of overRs500 crore which was not tabled. Indigold Refinery land scam Around 36.25 acre farmland in Kutch district was purchased and sold in violation of all norms by Indigold Refinery Ltd. Swan Energy 49% of the shares of Pipavav Power Station of GSPC were sold to Swan Energy without inviting any tenders. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_17-scams-that-narendra-modi-doesnt-want-lok-ayukta-to-probe_1580274 .................................................................................................................................. Lokayukta appointment: Modi Govt vs Governor Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi is on a collision course with the state Governor Kamla Beriwal after she appointed a retired High Court judge R A Mehta as the Lokayukta, bypassing the government. This notification was challenged by the Modi government. The critical post had been lying vacant for seven years. While the BJP government was upset, the Opposition Congress welcomed the move. In 2003, the last Gujarat Lokayukta SM Soni retired. It took the Modi government three years to approve a replacement suggestion. But three years later, the then Gujarat Governor rejected the suggestion on technical grounds. Since then the Opposition Congress says it has submitted four suggestions but the BJP government says Opposition's lack of cooperation held up the appointment. Meanwhile, a petition has been filed by father of murdered RTI activist Amit Jethwa seeking answers from Modi government on delays in the appointment of the Lokayukta. The plea will come up for hearing in court today. http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/lokayukta-appointment-modi-govt-vs-governor-129730&cp
ganeshran Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Regarding the first 2-3 ones, How is giving cheap land a scam? Governments routinely give land cheaper to companies who set up shop in the state, so they can provide employment and development
Clarke Posted August 29, 2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Regarding the first 2-3 ones' date=' How is giving cheap land a scam? Governments routinely give land cheaper to companies who set up shop in the state, so they can provide employment and development[/quote'] Land & air waves are both national assets that are meant for the welfare of the people and deserve a fair price. If the govt had made billions out of the telecom licenses the calling rates would be much more than what they are now. Either case deserves some scrutiny. I guess its a case of how cheap the land or telecom licenses were. There were some ridiculous figures thrown around when the Nano plant was cleared which suggested that the people of Gujarat will end up paying Rs. 65k for every 100k Nano because of the sops (power, water, land & interest free loans) offered by the Modi administration. How true is that is anybody's guess.
1983-2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Author Posted August 29, 2011 this is an old article Social activist Anna Hazare today appealed to Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi to enact a law empowering gram sabhas in taking decisions regarding village land. Hazare, accompanied by Swami Agnivesh and Arvind Kejriwal, made the appeal during a public hearing by various civil society groups, held at Gujarat Vidyapeeth here. He also urged Modi for quick appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat. "After hearing so many of you all I see (are) scams, that too in the land of Mahatma Gandhi," Hazare said at the end of the public hearing. The anti-corruption crusader said the gram sabhas (village councils), which are the roots of society, are needed to be strengthened in Gujarat on grounds of Maharashtra adding that they only build the legislature. "I would like to make two appeals to chief minister Narendra Modi. First is to appoint the Lokayukta in the state, and second to bring in a legislation that would empower the gram sabhas in taking decisions related to the village, especially those dealing with the village land," Hazare said. He said that after the drive to weed out corruption, his next assignment would be against land acquisition and he wanted it to start from Gujarat. "Gram Sabhas should be so empowered that no transaction related to the village land could be done without their permission. And I think this movement should start from Gujarat," he added. Hazare said that the country may face threat from Pakistan, but it faces more grievous threat from enemies within the country. He also warned the Union government of repeating Delhi agitation of April 5 if it tries to delay Jan Lokpal Bill. Another member of the Jan Lok Pal Bill drafting team, Swami Agnivesh, said that the public hearing has exposed the false claims of Gujarat government over development. Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi is making use of American media agencies to paint a false picture of what was exactly happening in Gujarat, he said. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_anna-hazare-turns-against-modi-so-many-scams-in-mahatma-s-land_1547782 "Gujarat is not vibrant as shown by Modi. Gujarat is the land of scams. Gandhi's Gujarat is now 'Ghotale ka Gujarat' (state of scams)," Agnivesh said. Arvind Kejriwal said that if farmer's land was forcefully acquired by government for industrialists it could lead to a civil war.
1983-2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Author Posted August 29, 2011 Land & air waves are both national assets that are meant for the welfare of the people and deserve a fair price. This.
1983-2011 Posted August 29, 2011 Author Posted August 29, 2011 Gujarat Nano Plant scam the government gave a loan of Rs 9,570 crore to a project whose total cost was Rs 2,900 crore, and the incentive of starting repayment after 20 years at an interest rate of 0.1%. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-03/india/29616840_1_niira-radia-scams-gujarat
bihutoli Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 This definitely needs investigation. I doubt this tantamounts to corruption (unless it could be proved that the government received personal benefits out of these transactions) and the Modi government has always known to be pro industry. However this needs to initiate a larger debate on the discretionary power of the government in setting up prices for public properties different from the market rates, and of using public resources for social schemes without a proper cost benefit analysis.
yoda Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 Govts doling out public property as if it is their (govt official's) own personal assets is standard operating procedure in India. Other examples are giving free land to cricketers, starting random schemes like free color TV, Rs 2/kg rice (at least makes sense to help the poor), etc.
ravishingravi Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 Interesting. So was the Lokayukta appointed by the governor with the consent of state govt.
1983-2011 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Posted August 30, 2011 Interesting. So was the Lokayukta appointed by the governor with the consent of state govt. the Lokayukta bill was there for 7 years but Modi's government didn't do anything so its better late than never that the governor has done it herself
1983-2011 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Posted August 30, 2011 New Delhi: Dismissing BJP's opposition to appointment of Lokayukta by Gujarat Governor bypassing the Chief Minister, the Centre on Tuesday said as per the law the Governor is supposed to consult only the Chief Justice of High Court in the matter and it should be left to the court to decide the issue. "The act, as I understand, says the governor will consult the chief justice. You can't read things into it," Law Minister Salman Khurshid said. He was asked about the objections raised by the BJP in Parliament on the appointment of Lokayukta in Gujarat without consulting the Chief Minister on August 26. The party had termed the move as "undemocratic" and demanded recall of Governor Kamla Beniwal accusing her of violating the federal structure. The state government challenged the appointment in the high court on the same day contending that the decision was "unconstitutional and unilateral". However, the central government felt there is nothing wrong in the decision and in case of any dispute, the courts would take a decision. "And if the act means something else, says something else, the courts will decide. How can we decide?" Kurshid said. Meanwhile, in an apparent attempt to counter BJP protests on the Lokayukta appointment, a group of nine Congress MPs staged a demonstration in Parliament House complex against the Gujarat government for not bringing to book the killers of Haren Pandya, a former Home Minister of the state who fell out with Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Protesting at the Mahatma Gandhi statue, the MPs carried photographs of the slain leader and shouted slogans "Down with Modi's dictatorship" and "Advani, Modi are Master-follower". They demanded Modi's resignation and insisted that the erstwhile NDA government at the Centre had given the Pandya murder case to CBI and influenced the agency to weaken the case. Pandya was killed in 2003. The Gujarat High Court on Monday observed that the case had been "botched up, blinkered and left a lot to be desired". http://ibnlive.in.com/news/gujarat-guvs-lokayukta-move-not-wrong-centre/179962-37-64.html
1983-2011 Posted August 30, 2011 Author Posted August 30, 2011 Interesting. So was the Lokayukta appointed by the governor with the consent of state govt. as per the law, the Governor is supposed to consult only the Chief Justice of High Court in the matter and it should be left to the court to decide the issue.
seedhi Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 as per the law' date=' the Governor is supposed to c[b']onsult only the Chief Justice of High Court in the matter and it should be left to the court to decide the issue.Wrong! The Constitution states that the Governor can take any decision only on the basis of consultation with the Council of Ministers, except if there is a breakdown of law and order. The matter of the Lokayukta was already pending with the Chief Justice of the High Court, so the Governor did not even check up with him and went ahead and unconstitutionally appointed the Lokayukta. The only person the Governor seems to have consulted is the Congress Leader of Opposition. By the way, if you read any act at the state level the only appointing authority mentioned is the Governor (for example the the appointment of the state Advocate General). But this has to be read in conjunction with article 163 of the constitution. For example, the President of India appoints the Attorney General. But this does not mean that the President can unilaterally make the appointment ignoring the advice of the Cabinet.
seedhi Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 the Lokayukta bill was there for 7 years but Modi's government didn't do anything so its better late than never that the governor has done it herselfIn 2006 Modi govt sent a name to the Governor for appointment. The Governor SAT ON THE FILE FOR THREE YEARS AND THEN REJECTED IT IN 2009.
seedhi Posted August 30, 2011 Posted August 30, 2011 "Gujarat Governor has no right to continue even for one minute" Excerpts of Arun Jaitley's speech in Rajya Sabha Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha and Gujarat MP Shri Arun Jaitley today demanded recall of Gujarat Governor Dr. Kamla Beniwal for her alleged misconduct of acting against the constitution. Following are excerpts of Shri Jaitley's speech in Rajya Sabha in this regard: "Chairman, Sir, I had given a notice in the morning seeking your indulgence to raise a matter which has an important bearing on our system of governance and the federal polity of India. The issue is precisely this: that a Governor is appointed in a State under article 155 of the Constitution by the President of India ostensibly on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers." "In our scheme of governance, except very exceptional subjects, some of which have now been defined, under article 163 of the Constitution, a Governor is bound to act on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers in the State and not otherwise. We have now a situation in the State of Gujarat where the Governor of the State has appointed a Lokayukta without the consultation or the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. This is directly an infringement of article 163." "If this kind of a situation is to be permitted in the country, what would be the effect? The Governor is appointed by the Government in power at the Centre. If the Governor, in turn, starts making appointments in the State without the consultation of the elected Government of the State, effectively, the Central Government will then be interfering in the appointments of this kind which are being made in the State and not in accordance with the procedures mentioned therein." "In 2006, a recommendation is made in consultation with the Leader of the Opposition, in consultation with the Chief Justice of India. The then Governor withholds the recommendation for a period of three years. Till 2009, the appointment is not done. Are we going to allow governance of this kind, and, then, gag the House and say that this cannot be discussed? After 2009, the facts must be placed because it is the grossest violation of the Constitutional provisions." "The biggest convention is the Constitution of India. There is no higher convention than a Governor being bound by the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers. If we are going to allow a situation, where Governors act independent of the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers, you are going to destroy completely the federal structure of Indian democracy." "This is how we are treating our States. From 2006 to 2009, the Raj Bhavan did not notify the appointment." "In 2009, the Judge recommended is appointed as a member or Chairperson of a Human Rights Commission in Maharashtra, a Congress-ruled State and the State Government is told, "you recommended a man three years ago. Now, he is no longer available." So, after three years, they were asked to nominate another person. The State Government accordingly requested the Chief Justice. The Chief Justice gave a panel of four names. The State Government ticked one name out of that panel, that of Justice Vohra, recommended it to the Governor, consulted the Opposition Leader. At this stage, the party in Opposition took a stand that the Chief Minister has no locus standi; the Opposition Leader will not attend a single meeting of the Chief Minister, and five meetings were abstained by the Opposition Leader." Read the rest at http://deshgujarat.com/2011/08/30/gujarat-governor-has-no-right-to-continue-even-for-one-minuteexcerpts-of-arun-jaitleys-speech-in-rajya-sabha/ As usual the Congressi bootlicker moron Salman Khursheed concealed facts and twisted the law.
ravishingravi Posted August 31, 2011 Posted August 31, 2011 the Lokayukta bill was there for 7 years but Modi's government didn't do anything so its better late than never that the governor has done it herself No, that hardly is constitutional whether it is 7 years or 70 years. Law is the law. Even Hazare's plans require Lokayukta to be appointed with the consent of state government.
asterix Posted August 31, 2011 Posted August 31, 2011 This is Congress's last throw of dice.. Now or never.. However it's own Delhi CM Shiela 'Ki Jawani' Dickshit continues to hold her office even after getting implicated by multiple agencies..
Brainfade Posted August 31, 2011 Posted August 31, 2011 Crawling out from under a rock, I just started to pay more attention to the Anna Hazare movement. And have just one nagging question: What is the plan to oversee the activities of the Ayukta- and LokPal-officers? Whom are they accountable to, and what repercussions would they face if they were found to be corrupt/wanting? The system will only be as good as the people who run it - and when the govt (=politician) gets involved, it will somehow find a way to ruin it. Am I way off base in my thinking here?
asterix Posted August 31, 2011 Posted August 31, 2011 No point in thinking about the "accountability" of something which is not in reality yet. I think we should think about the Politicians who are running the show. Are they "accountable"? In what way? Just when Supreme court puts it's foot down or when people vote in evey 5 years? Still politicians/political parties survive by manipulations, lack of public memory, apathy towards everything (including events like Mumbai massacre etc.), "secularism Vs Corruption" etc. Is Judiciary accountable? Is President accountable? Presidents are sitting over mercy pititions for decades! Aren't they accountable?
kabira Posted August 31, 2011 Posted August 31, 2011 Crawling out from under a rock, I just started to pay more attention to the Anna Hazare movement. And have just one nagging question: What is the plan to oversee the activities of the Ayukta- and LokPal-officers? Whom are they accountable to, and what repercussions would they face if they were found to be corrupt/wanting? The system will only be as good as the people who run it - and when the govt (=politician) gets involved, it will somehow find a way to ruin it. Am I way off base in my thinking here? Lokpal committee is accountable to Supreme Court. IF anyone has any issue they can go to Supreme court and court has to investigate and come back in 30 days.
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