The Bharatiya Janata Party today urged Delhi Lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung to order an inquiry into senior IAS officer Shakuntala Gamlin’s allegations against Industries Minister Satyendra Jain. Gamlin has alleged that Jain had been pressurizing her regarding the conversion of industrial plots from leasehold to freehold.
Satish Upadhyay, President of the Delhi BJP unit said that after today’s “exposure” of Jain’s efforts to get land use rules and regulations changed for plots, “it becomes absolutely clear why Arvind Kejriwal’s government was totally opposed to the appointment of Shakuntala Gamlin as caretaker chief secretary as she had earlier objected to the government’s illegal acts”.
“Now we understand CM Kejriwal’s averseness to all existing officials as they are not ready to support his unconstitutional misdeeds,” claimed the Delhi BJP chief.
Reacting to the controversy, Satyendra Jain told a news agency that he “asked Shakuntala Gamlin to study industrial areas in Delhi and submit a proposal as to how these can be made free-hold.”
“I fail to understand that if we ask our officers to do some work, is it same as pressurizing them?…Shakuntala Gamlin should have addressed that letter to me instead of LG,” Jain further added.
On the other hand, the Bawana Chamber of Industries have been demanding a freehold status for the relocation of the industries in Bawana held a press conference in this regard. Their Chairman, Prakash Jain said that the AAP led Delhi government during its 49 day period had agreed to their demands but then things went back to the same scenario as earlier as they quit. After AAP’s return to power this year, Jain and other representatives of BCI urged CM Arvind Kejriwal to look into the matter once again but nothing concrete came out. The representatives stated that, “We expect the Govt on Delhi as well as the Govt of India to clear the status of Bawana from “lease hold” to “freehold” as early as possible so as to save 5,00,000 families connected with the relocation scheme to live a corruption free and meaningful life.”
Speaking to Janta Ka Reporter, Prakash Jain reiterated what he and his team had stated during the Press Conference. He said, “The corrupt officers who have been dining at the expense of very small hardworking entrepreneurs cannot digest the freedom of those people from their clutches. So, they create hurdles. Non issuing of NOC for bank loans, not permitting tenancy rights, non-recognition of commercial conversion rights are some of the glaring examples of dictatorial tendencies. Granting of freehold status will have a denting effect on all this and will help wipe out corruption to a good extent.”
Copy of Press Release by BCI (Part-1)Copy of Press Release by BCI (Part-2)
Gamlin’s appointment as the acting chief secretary had triggered a war of words between Lt. Governor Najeeb Jung and the Arvind Kejriwal led AAP government leading to escalation of tensions between the Centre and the AAP. According to reports, Gamlin had written a letter to Jung alleging that despite the fact that land does not fall under Delhi Government’s list, Industries Minister Satyendra Jain had pressurized to submit a note for the council of ministers proposing the conversion of industrial land from leasehold to freehold.