The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached 14 industrial plots worth ₹30.34 crore related to the Panchkula industrial plots allocation scam allegedly involving ex-Haryana Chief Minister Bhupendra Singh Hooda.

“These 14 industrial plots were fraudulently allocated to the persons closely connected to Hooda who was the ex-officio Chairman, Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). Since these fraudulently acquired plots are Proceeds of Crime, the same have been provisionally attached under Prevention of Money Laundering Act,” stated an ED press release.

Investigations conducted by ED reveal that the 14 industrial plots were available with HUDA for allotment in 2011. It has come out during investigation that the prices fixed for the subject allotment were kept very low as opposed to the market rate. The then prevalent collector rate was around four-five times the price fixed for allotment.

“High Court directions to the Haryana Government were to evolve a fair and transparent criteria for such allocations. The criteria for allotment were altered 18 days after the last date of application was over and all the applicant data was in possession of HUDA. Marks for certain criteria were altered to favour pre–selected applicants by increasing the discretion at the hands of the interview committee,” the ED probe revealed.

“The marks for certain criteria were reduced and for others the criteria points were given zero marks thereby effectively removing the criteria. The entire interview process was vitiated and compromised as no formal record of marks allocation was kept. It has been found that the plots were allocated to persons closely connected to Hooda in terms of his personal capacity and also in terms of the political party he belongs to,” the release stated.

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