Adarsh promoter feigns ignorance on land ownership

Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, despite being one of the chief promoters of the controversial Adarsh CHS, claims he had incomplete knowledge of the possession of the land on which the tower stands.

In his deposition in front of the two-member commission set up to probe the alleged Adarsh scam, Gidwani stated, “It is correct to say that my knowledge about the fact of possession in respect of the land in question was not based on my personal knowledge but on hearsay knowledge.”

Gidwani stated that he did not inquire with the society about how they got possession of the land at a time when it was possessed by the Local Military Authority (LMA). “I did not feel it necessary to verify as to in whose actual possession the land in question was. In many of my letters I have stated that the land in question is in possession of the LMA. This statement was based on the letters written by the society,” he said.

It was also revealed that in a letter written on behalf of the society to the chief minister dated February 7, 2000, the society suggested “little changes” in the development plan of the area.

According to Gidwani, the changes contemplated in the letter were modifications in the development plan by cancelling the proposed widening of Captain Prakash Pethe Marg.