The plot of land where the Adarsh Society has come up belongs to the State government, Mumbai Collector Chandrashekhar Oak stated in an affidavit filed before the two-member Adarsh inquiry commission here on Thursday. “Adarsh society has come up on land allotted by the State government,” the affidavit said.
“According to the provisions of Maharashtra Land Revenue Code 1966, the State government is empowered to dispose of any government land which is the property of government, on such terms and conditions as it deems fit,” it stated.
Mr. Oak said a letter was written to the Minister of Revenue requesting for allotment of land on January 13, 2000. A month later, another letter was written to the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.
The affidavit stated that there were 37 persons from the defence background who were granted membership of the Society. Of them, 23 were from the Army and 14 from the Navy.
Ministry's claim
There has been a debate over the ownership of the plot of land.
The Ministry of Defence claimed that the plot belonged to them and was the location of Kukri park, which was denuded to construct the building.
However, the Ministry has not been able to furnish any proofs of ownership as the Military Land Register does not have record of the land in question.
The State government, on the other hand, has maintained that the land was owned by it.
Cross-examination to continue
Meanwhile, the cross-examination of Brigadier Deepak Saxena, General Officer Commanding, Maharashtra and Gujarat, by the inquiry commission will continue.