Days after a local court directed police to register an FIR against the partners of a private company ‘Paradise Avenue’ operated by the son of a former Finance Minister for kidnapping and torturing an RTI activist, the government has ordered a probe into the allegations that the same company got illegal permission from a retired official for the construction of flats on 13 floors at Narwal Bala on the outskirts of Jammu.
“It may be a scam and we have taken cognizance of it. An inquiry has been ordered and a report has been sought from the Housing and Urban Development Department,” Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Singh told news agency CNS.
According to official sources the government is mulling to handover the case either to Vigilance Organization or Crime Branch to know how come the former Commissioner Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) in 2013 had given ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) for construction of flats named `Paradise Avenues’ at Narwal Bala even as the site of construction didn’t fall within the limits of the JMC.
Official sources said, the records scrutinized by the Government so far, revealed that then Assistant Commissioner (Revenue) and then Assistant Commissioner (Nazool) had refused to give illegal permission for construction of flats at Narwal Bala but the then Commissioner JMC while throwing all rules to winds accorded illegal sanction to the partners of the company in the year when the father of the one of the partners of the company was assuming the portfolio of Finance Ministry.
“We are mulling to handover the case either to Crime Branch or Vigilance Organization to unearth the facts and an FIR may also be lodged against the partners of the company,” said an official adding that the company was supposed to seek permission from Housing and Urban Development Department but it had approached JMC just because the top post then was held by a close aide of former Finance Minister.
(CNS)