Srinagar Airport area sold out to land mafias: BJP

JAMMU: The BJP today alleged that the Congress-led UPA government has sold out the most secured runway of the country, at Srinagar.

"It is now confirmed that the Congress-led UPA government has sold out the most secured runway of the country at Srinagar to land mafias", BJP national secretary, former MP and party's Scams Committee national in-charge Kirit Somaiya said while addressing a press conference here.

The Defence Ministry and CBI findings confirmed the apprehension that the Srinagar Airport is in danger, said Somaiya.

The Jammu Kashmir unit of the BJP had submitted a complain in this regard to Defence Minister A K Antony in August 2011, he said.

Somaiya, who had recently met the Defence Minister, senior officials of Defence Ministry and CBI in Delhi and Jammu on this issue, said that it is now confirmed that land mafias are in connivance with a section of Defence and J&K government's Revenue Ministry officials on the issue.

"30 per cent land of Srinagar runway is transferred and NOCs were issued in the name of private persons," he alleged.

BJP national executive member and the party's chief spokesperson in the state Jitendra Singh said the CBI and the Defence Ministry have accepted through its recent investigation, that very high officials of Defence Ministry were involved in the Srinagar Airport land scam.

The 200-acre Srinagar Airport land scam amounts to Rs 1,000 crore and is one of the major scams involving defence land, he added.