Former Punjab Chief Secretary Anurag Verma (IAS:1993:PB) has been issued a summon by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear on August 31. The ED has also summoned IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar (IAS:2007:PB) on August 27. They have been asked to join its ongoing probe into the alleged scam involving Suntec City and Altus Space Builders Private Limited. Both these officers have to appear at the ED’s zonal office in Jalandhar.
Though it is the first time that Verma will be appearing before the agency, Brar had earlier appeared before it on August 18. He has been called as he was heading the Housing and Urban Development Department when the alleged irregularities took place.
Brar is currently posted as the Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department.
The ED is virtually investigating the roles of these officers in the change of land use and unauthorised layout modifications allegedly made to benefit private builders.
It has been alleged that group housing sites in the mega Muirwoods Ecocity project were transferred to Dhir Constructions, owned by Gaurav Dhir, by allowing the unauthorised layout modification. It was done after the builder’s application seeking to transfer the sites to Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) was rejected.
It was also alleged that the builder’s interests were safeguarded by initiating action under Section 85 despite the material misrepresentation.
Besides, the policy had been reversed in 2022 when Aman Arora, the current AAP state president, was the minister of Housing and Urban Development.
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