Former Defence Estate Officer (DEO) Sewak Nayyar on Thursday claimed that the army entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the builder after he retired from the service.
Nayyar is among the two former army officers and a builder who were part of the decision-making process regarding the property at Bungalow No 8A, Lothian Road, Survey No. 241-A, admeasuring area 0.96 acre of B-3 Defence Land in Pune Cantonment.
Speaking to DNA, he said, “The matter has been settled out of court between the army and Kalpataru builders. Sub-residential accommodation was to be offered to the army by the builder as per the court order. Instead, the army authorities entered into a MoU with the builder to take some residential accommodation at another place in Pune rather than the building constructed at 8A, Lothian Road in the Pune Cantonment Board area.”
He added, “The army entered into an MoU with Kalpataru much after I retired from the service on September 30, 2008. Till I was working as DEO in Pune, no discussion or consideration about entering into a MoU had been held in my presence. Even otherwise, the Headquarters Southern Command takes advice on land matters from the Principal Director Defence Estate (PDDE) and not from the DEO.”
Expressing surprise and disappointed for been unnecessarily dragged into these cases, Nayyar said, “I was not involved in the execution of the said MOU at any stage. However, I am willingly to cooperate wholeheartedly with the investigating agencies so that the truth comes out and my name is cleared.”
Nayyar said, “I have been implicated. I was never called for any inquiry by the Southern Command. I am surprised at the clarification which the Southern Command gave through a press release that they had carried out an enquiry before handing over the cases to CBI. How could such an enquiry involving my name could have been conducted and concluded without me having been ever summoned to be examined?”
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