• Source:JND
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A latest CAG report unearthed large-scale malpractice, big enough to inflict a loss of Rs 3,600 Crore to the Noida Authority. These anomalies were found in the allotment of industrial plots and land earmarked for the Sports City project. 

The massive irregularities were revealed when the CAG report was tabled on Wednesday, revealing that the Greater Noida Authority suffered a loss of nearly Rs 8,00 crore in allotment of industrial land and Rs 2800 crore due to the malpractice adopted in the allotment of group housing land under the Sports City and Recreational Entertainment Park (REP) schemes.

How The Fraud Took Place

- The allotted 2,580 industrial plots spanning 1,130 hectares from 1991 to 2021. This land is almost one-fifth of the total land it has distributed; however, 1,341 plots (52%) were functional, and most of them became operational years late.

- Among these, only 11 per cent of the project of 147 units were constructed within the deadline. 

- Authority had to bear a loss of Rs 630 crore in land premium, lease rent, and interest as 972 allottees defaulted on payment. And authority allowed these defaulters to remain the owners of the allotted lands. 

- For an instance of the fraud, authorities waived penalties and extended deadlines for 139 plots, suffering a loss of Rs 142 crore in potential revenue. And these deeds were later signed at outdated rates, as the rates were not revised after extending deadlines.

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Apartment Constructed On The Place Of Stadium In Sports City

The sports city scheme was launched in February 2011 as an integrated township, which will have a golf course, cricket academies, stadiums, and other international-standard sports facilities. The aim behind the move was to put Greater Noida on the map of global sports. 

In place of world-class sports complexes and stadiums, now residential building stands tall on the land, with token facilities like small pools and tennis courts, little different from those in ordinary gated communities.

The Greater Noida Authority, Vinod Kumar, general manager (finance) said that corrective measures have been taken after the CAG report came to light. 

 “The CAG observed irregularities in old group housing allotments and suggested corrections. We have revised our allotment policy to prevent future errors, and our staff is taking effective measures to recover dues in line with CAG suggestions,” he was reported as saying by HT.