Ahmedabad, Aug 5 Senior Congress leader Shaktisinh Gohil on Wednesday demanded a probe into the functioning of the Gujarat Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC), alleging that recent observations by the Supreme Court had exposed the corruption in the state-run agency.
Addressing a press conference here, he referred to a Supreme Court judgment that upheld a Gujarat High Court order quashing the exchange of 20 industrial plots in Sarigam Industrial Estate in Valsad district for agricultural land.
Both the High Court and the Supreme Court held that the GIDC officer's decision was "malafide" and made serious observations about the manner in which the allotment was made, Gohil said.
The case brought to light how industrial land worth crores of rupees was exchanged for agricultural land of much lower value in violation of GIDC policy, the Congress leader said.
Despite the High Court's order, an attempt was made by officials to award compensation of more than Rs 30 crore to the beneficiary of the land exchange by wrongly calculating the amount under different land acquisition laws, he alleged.
According to Gohil, the apex court rejected this calculation and ruled that the compensation payable was only Rs 1.17 crore.
"The judgments of the High Court and the Supreme Court have shown what kind of corruption prevails in GIDC," he alleged.
Stating that public sector bodies were created to promote industrial development and public welfare, Gohil alleged that the BJP government had turned them into platforms for corruption.
GIDC was originally established to encourage small and medium industries, create employment and promote balanced industrial development across Gujarat, but policies were now being changed to benefit influential persons, the Congress leader alleged.
Gohil demanded the constitution of a judicial commission to investigate the alleged corruption in GIDC, frequent policy changes and land allotment practices. Action should be taken against officials found responsible for the alleged irregularities, he added.
He also questioned why industrial plots were allotted without following an auction process and sought an explanation from the government on land allotments made at fixed prices.
The Congress leader further demanded that central agencies, including the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Income Tax Department and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), investigate the affairs of GIDC, including the assets of its board members.
