Defence Ministry action likely on Monday

With the Navy expressing concern over the security risk posed by the high-rise Adarsh Housing Society building in Mumbai in its report to the Defence Ministry, some action is expected on Monday,

This report and those submitted earlier by the Army and the Directorate of Defence Estates are being processed by senior officers and their findings will form the basis of the action by the Ministry, sources in the South Block said.

The Ministry would not only take action against those whose complicity could be determined, but also recommend measures to prevent recurrence of such scams in future, they said.

The Navy, the sources said, flagged serious concerns over the 31-storey building in a military zone, which compromised the security of several sensitive installations and a nearby naval air facility.

The report said the building in Colaba came within the security perimeter of the Navy and, as such, it could be a location from where the activities of the naval base could be easily monitored.

In fact, the building came under the scanner of the authorities when the Navy was tasked with the overall coastal security in 2009.

The sources said the Army too, in its report, underscored the security concerns. It wanted the Ministry to conduct a thorough probe as to how the land that was under its “de-facto” control was lost in 1999. It was determined that some officers posted locally were behind the “criminal conspiracy,'' the sources said.