CAG slams military authorities for Adarsh housing scam

NEW DELHI: Slamming military authorities for misappropriating prime defence land for the Adarsh housing society, the CAG has said rules were bent to benefit relatives of politicians, public servants and senior Service officers including former Army chiefs Gen Deepak Kapoor and N C Vij.

In a report tabled in Lok Sabha today, the Government auditor also targeted the Union Environment Ministry and the Maharashtra Urban Development Ministry saying indications were there that procedures were skirted to enable grant of No-Objection Certificate (NOC) to the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society (ACHS) in Mumbai.

The CAG said welfare of servicemen and ex-servicemen was used as a ruse to grab piece of public land for the Society.

It said the entire episode reveals "glaring examples of dereliction of duty and severe lack of probity and accountability which needs to be seriously investigated.

"Action of the Local Military Authorities acting in collusion with Defence Estates Organisation (DEO) enabled misappropriation of prime government land in Mumbai for the benefit of a select few," it said.

The report said these officials were "responsible for protection of defence land and they betrayed the trust reposed in them for the personal benefit of a number of favoured individuals- all of whom are highly placed."

The auditor pointed out that the membership of the society kept expanding where "junior service and civilian officers went out of the society and many senior service officers and public servants became members."

"Notable among Service officers who became members of the society at a later date were two former Army Chiefs General N C Vij and Deepak Kapoor," it said.