Ahmedabad, 3 October 2012

An inquiry commission under a retired Supreme Court judge Mr M B Shah today submitted its first report and gave clean chit to the Narendra Modi government in nine cases of land allotments.

The commission was formed by the Gujarat cabinet headed by the Chief Minister Narendra Modi in August last year to probe 17 charges that the state Congress party submitted to the President of India.

The state government formed the MB Shah panel under the Commission of Inquiry Act-1952 to bring the ‘truth’ to the people over the allegations made by the Congress.

The first part of the report is about allegations of land allotment by Gujarat government at “throwaway prices” to Adani, L&T, Tata Nano and others:

-Allegation that land had been given to industries near the state capital at Gandhinagar at very low prices;
-That Rs.33,000-crore concession had been allotted to the Tata’s Nano car project;
-Over the land allotment to Adani Industrial House for Mundra Port and Mundra SEZ;
-Allegation that costly prime land of Navsari Agricultural University has been allotted to Messrs Chhatrala Group of Hotels for constructing a five star hotel without auction;
-Allegation of illegal allotment of Coastal Regulation Zone and Forest land and permission for construction given to Essar Group;
-Allegation that huge tract of land has been allotted to a company, in which BJP leader Venkaiah Naidu is said to be associated with, to set up a Salt Chemicals Facility in Kutch district near Pakistan border;
-Allegation that prime land has been allotted to Bharat Hotels Limited on the Ahmedabad Sarkhej-Gandhinagar Highway;
-Allegation that land has been allotted to several industrialists and industrial houses near big cities for setting up industrial units;
-Allegation that prime land has been given to L&T Company at Hazira-Surat at throwaway prices without auction;

More about the commission