KL NEWS NETWORK
SRINAGAR
The Jammu and Kashmir Government has allotted 88 Kanals of Prime Industrial Land along with the Inland Container Depo to a Delhi based company.
The decision has sent shock waves among the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce (KCCI) who termed it a big scam and said that the issue will be raised with the Chief Minister Mufti Mohmaad Syeed.
The official data available with KNS reveals that Inland Container Depo (ICD) which has been allotted by the government to the Expandable Infra Pvrivate Limited New Delhi is spreading on 88 Kanals of land at Industrial Area Rangreth.
The Depo has been completed by the state government at the expenses of 14 Crore 60 lac.
According to the official letter No ROK/15/1079/4159.64 and order no RoK/15/1079 475-78 dated 14.5 2015 the allotment has been sanctioned for renting out the Inland Container Depo to the Expandable Infra Pvt.Ltd on the monthly rental 218,000.
Sources revealed that the owner of the Expandable infra Pvt Ltd had put both men and machinery on job for getting 88 Kanals of land belonging to Jammu and Kashmir State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO).
The officials of the SIDCO said that they had received three bids in which the Expandable infra pvt.Ltd was the highest one with 2, 18000. “ We received three bids one from M/s Margam Logistics Maharasharta with 203,000 second one from M.S GBS overseas 205,000 Delhi and the last and highest one from Expandable Infra Pvt. Ltd 2,18000,”General manager Ajaz Ahmad told KNS.
Surprisingly the SIDCO who has allotted land along with the Inland Container Depo does not know the name of proprietor of Delhi company “His name is not mentioned in his file and we don’t know who the proprietor of this company is. It is not mandatory to know the name of the proprietor whom we allot the land,” General Manager added.
The official claimed that it was the decision of the Apex Project Clearance Committee (APCC) committee which is headed by the chief Secretary of the state.
Interestingly the company has given its two official phone numbers 9819202004, 9930061620 in their representation which are not functional.
The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce has termed the government’s decision unacceptable and said that it is a big scam. “Government should have given first preference to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce. It seems that they have some commitments with the Company. We will not remain silent over the issue and will raise the issue with the Chief Minster Mufti Mohmaad Syeed,” Chairman KCCI Sheikh Ashiq told KNS.
He further said: “Though the Chamber is silent on the issue but if the government will not resolve the issue the Chamber will protest strongly.
Repeated attempts to contact Chief Secretary Mohammad Iqbal Khanday didn’t fructify.
Meanwhile Managing Director SIDCO Kifayat Rizvi said that they have properly followed the decision of the APCC. “The decision was taken by the committee that it will be tendered. We published the tender in local and National News Papers .There is nothing wrong in it,” he said and added that if Chamber has raised eyebrows why not they participated in the tendering?” he said.
Meanwhile highly placed sources said that with the help of some politicians and higher officials of the state the company has persuaded Committee to clear case of 88 kanal land allotment.
Interestingly the, Financial Commissioner, I&C, Kursheed Ahmad Ganai had said in the buyer seller meet that in order to promote exports, the Government will soon operationalize Inland Container Depot at Rangreth and promote registration of genuine hand-made products under Geographical Indication (GI).
When contacted the officials of the Expandable Infra Pvt.Ltd they admitted that the state government has sanctioned a land to the company. “We got the land after fulfilling all the formalities,” one of the officials of the company said.
