CAG raps Haryana government for showing 'undue favours' to Robert Vadra

NEW DELHI: The CAG has held that the previous Congress regime in Haryana showed undue favours to party president Sonia Gandhi’s sonin-law Robert Vadra in a land deal with reality giant DLF. The CAG report, tabled in state assembly on Wednesday, concluded Vadra’s firm made major profits on the sale of a plot of land to DLF after he obtained the change of land use for the same.

The report notes that Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality, sold 3.5 acres of prime land in Manesar in Gurgaon district to DLF in 2008 for Rs 58 crore. The land had, however, only cost his company around Rs 15 crore. It was sold to DLF after obtaining change of land use (CLU) and other permissions from the former Congress government led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

The report noted that the company set up by Vadra with a paid up capital of Rs 1 lakh had purchased a 3.5 acre plot from Onkareshwar Properties at Manesar in Gurgaon in March 2008. The report reads “the possibility of extending undue benefit to particular applicant (company) cannot be ruled out”. The auditor has raised eyebrows on the pace at which sanctions were accorded to Vadra’s company.

The draft report of the CAG had last year directed the state government to seek a refund of Rs 41.51 crore from Vadra for the money he made on the DLF deal.

The report has also held that the Hayana government was deprived of its share of net profit, which Vadra’s company has made on the sale of licence.