Ashok Chavan gave undue favours to Adarsh: CBI

Sunanda P

Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI) Former Maharashtra Chief MinisterAshok Chavan allegedly showed undue favours to scam-hit AdarshHousing Society here and asked its managing committee membersto make recommendations for allowing 40 per cent allocationfor civilians, according to the FIR lodged by CBI.

The FIR details, which came out today, alleged Chavan,during his tenure as Revenue Minister, became a part of analleged criminal conspiracy along with other accused R CThakur, Brig (retd) M M Wanchoo and Congress leader K LGidwani as he proposed to the trio to pass a letterrecommending 40 per cent flats for society.

CBI alleged Chavan abused his official position with anulterior motive of getting flats for his relatives.

After he became Chief Minister, CBI alleged that in2009, he gave 15 per cent concession for recreation groundwhich was earlier not allowed by the previous government.

When contacted, Chavan refused to comment and said hewas still awaiting a formal copy of the FIR.

CBI has approached the Centre to provide sanction toprosecute a senior Maharashtra IAS officer in connection withthe Adarsh Housing scam for allegedly giving approval toincrease in the height of the building without following thelaid down norms.

The FIR has mentioned name of Jairaj Moreshwar Phatak, a1978 batch IAS officer, after the list of 13 accused and saidthat he was not named as an accused in the case as he was aJoint Secretary rank officer for which the agency needs totake persmission from the Centre.

The allegation against Phatak was that during his tenureas Commissioner of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC),he had approved the height to be increased from 97 metres to107 metres on September one, 2007.

He was the head of the committee looking after high risebuildings in the megapolis and the agency alleged that he hadnot referred the height increase to other committee members.

CBI has mentioned that his son Kanishka Phatak wasgiven a flat in the Society.

The FIR which names six senior retired Army officials --Lt Gen P K Rampal, Major Generals T K Kaul, A R Kumar, BrigWanchoo and R C Sharma and Col T K Sinha -- accusing them offailing to protect the intersts of the Army.

It alleged Thakur, Wanchoo and Gidwani were the mainconspirators who illegaly took land not belonging to them andMaj Gen Kumar and Brig Sharma misused their official powerand fraudulently and dishonestly issued No ObjectionCertificate to the city collector saying the land belongs tostate governemnt and not to the Army.

Gen Rampal did not object to the NOC issued by Sharmaand Kumar, the FIR alleged.

Gen Kaul gave wrong information to the Lok Sabha thatthe land does not belong to defence and in return got a flatin the Society.