Pune land scam: Why me, asks Lt Gen Nobel Thamburaj

Former Vice Army Chief Lt Gen Nobel Thamburaj on Wednesday questioned as to why allegations were being raised only against him and that too after three and a half years when many people were involved in the decision making process in the matter of property at bungalow No 8A on Lothian Road in Pune Cantonment.

Lt Gen Thamburaj said, “An army commander cannot micromanage, since the span of his activities is very large. He has to delegate and rely on the advice of his staff. No defence land has been transferred to any builder during my tenure in Southern Command. The sanction for the construction of this building was given before my tenure. The building on the said land (8A Lothian Road) was constructed before I took charge. The only issue was giving the completion certificate. There was a dispute between the army and the builder on some issues and he had taken the army to court.’’

He also said, “My subordinate commanders, my staff and advisors convinced me that we had a weak case in court, and it would be wise to have an out of court settlement. Once I was told that the principal director, defence estates, who is an expert in such matters, had also concurred with the proposal, I approved an out of court settlement on the file. The MoU between the army and the builder was signed a month after I had left for Delhi on my next assignment. This file has been perused twice by my successor before any action was taken on the MoU.’’