Three senior bureaucrats of Himachal Pradesh, including two retired Chief Secretaries now holding key posts in the state, have come under scrutiny after allegations surrounding officiating Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta over an alleged land controversy in Chester Hill, Solan, and Kharar.
The issue involving allegations against the officiating Chief Secretary also echoed in the state Assembly as well, where BJP MLA Satpal Singh Satti sought an inquiry and removal of the top bureaucrat — without naming him — amid allegations of corruption related to alleged benami land transactions in Chester Hill and the purchase of 3.18 acres of land in Kharar for Rs 1.38 crore.
On Monday, the CPM held a press conference against the officiating Chief Secretary over the Chester Hill case, alleging that permission for the project was granted in violation of Section 118 of the Himachal Pradesh Tenancy and Land Reforms Act. A local advocate has also filed a complaint at a police station, alleging that the acting CS colluded with the operators in Chester Hill project.
Interacting with mediapersons here, officiating Chief Secretary Sanjay Gupta denied the allegations. “Two officers, one who became Chief Secretary superseding my seniority and another former Chief Secretary facing allegations of irregularities during his tenure as Chairman of the State Electricity Board, were behind a conspiracy to tarnish my image,” he said.
“I would have become Chief Secretary many years ago as per seniority. Now that I have become CS, they are targeting me. They want to ensure that I do not get an extension in service,” he said, adding that he knew why certain documents were being selectively leaked by some officers from Solan. Gupta is scheduled to retire in May.
Gupta said that the advocate who filed the complaint was unaware that the legal provision he referred to had already been deleted from the Prevention of Corruption Act. He said the former Chairman of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA) had given permission for the Chester Hill project in Solan.
The officiating Chief Secretary said he had no role in the land related to the Chester Hill project in Solan district and clarified that the land in Kharar had been purchased much earlier. He said he had bought the land in Kharar by withdrawing GPF with the permission of the government. He said the Deputy Commissioner, Solan, was probing the Chester Hill case, and he had the power to decide whether there were violations or not.
Questioning the appointment of a retired Chief Secretary as Chairman of the HP State Electricity Board, Gupta alleged that the officer should not have been appointed given the existence of a CBI probe and prosecution sanction against him, due to which his pension had reportedly been put on hold. He further said that some officers had been misguiding the Chief Minister and had failed to present the factual position and applicable rules before him.
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