Adarsh no threat to military installations, says former GoC

Endorsing the view of former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor, a retired lieutenant general today told a judicial panel that the scam-tainted Adarsh building was not a security threat to defence installations in the vicinity.

"According to me, any high-rise building in the area is not a security threat to army installations. Hence even the Adarsh building does not pose a threat to the Army," retired Lt Gen Tejinder Singh told the two-member inquiry commission probing the alleged scam.

Singh had applied for membership in Adarsh in November 2006 when he was the General Officer Commanding (GOC), Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat area.

Singh told the commission that before applying for membership he had ascertained himself whether all permissions and clearances were given to the society by the government.

On July 19, former Army chief Deepak Kapoor had also told the commission that he did not think Adarsh was a security threat.

The statements of the duo are in stark contrast to the Ministry of Defence's stand that Adarsh building, overlooking its installations, is a security threat.

The MoD, in a petition pending in the Bombay High Court, has sought demolition of the building.

"It did not occur to me that the building would pose a security threat, because there are number of buildings of similar height in the area," Kapoor had said in his deposition on July 19.

Kapoor, who retired as Chief of Army Staff in March 2010, had applied for membership of the society in 2005 and was allotted a flat. He surrendered the flat in October 2010 after the scam came to light.