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Adarsh scam: CBI raids homes of Mumbai civic body’s former chief

MUMBAI — Continuing its probe into the Adarsh housing society scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Tuesday raided the homes of Jairaj Phatak, the former municipal commissioner of Mumbai, across three cities in the country. Phatak, an Indian Administrative Service officer — and now additional secretary at the rural electrification department at the centre – is accused of having approved the height of the controversial building by 10 metres. In return, his son was given an apartment in the building.

CBI officers raided Phatak’s homes in Mumbai, Pune and Delhi, where he is currently living. The agency had sought the government’s approval before raiding his homes, as such permission is needed while prosecuting officers above the rank of joint secretary.

The controversial Adarsh society, which has come up in posh Cuffe Parade in south Mumbai – where a sq ft of built-up space can sell for as high as Rs100,000 – was built on defence land. The promoters claimed that it was meant for the dependants and relatives of soldiers and officers killed in the Kargil skirmish.

However, the project violated several rules and the promoters managed to get illegal clearance by offering apartments to relatives of former bureaucrats, military officials and politicians. Besides Phatak, others who have been named in the first information report (FIR) filed by the CBI include former Maharashtra chief minister Ashok Chavan — who was forced to quit after his close relatives were found to be among the beneficiaries.

Chavan, as revenue minister in 2006, was alleged to have gone out of his way to favour the promoters of Adarsh housing society. Likewise, after he became chief minister, he ensured smooth passage for the project. Surprisingly, after he was forced to quit as chief minister, many of the files in the urban development department have gone missing.

The CBI, which launched a probe in November, registered a case against 13 people in January under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prevention of Corruption Act. Besides Chavan, the other accused persons include two retired majors-general (who were general officers commanding the Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa areas), two brigadiers, a colonel, a former principal secretary in the state’s urban development department, besides a former legislator.

According to the CBI, Phatak as municipal commissioner of Mumbai allowed the height of the building to be raised by 10 metres to 107 metres. As head of a committee on high-rise buildings, he did not even refer the case to other members on the panel.

Phatak claims that his son became a member of the housing society in 2004, when he was not the municipal commission and much before he had approved the increase in the height of the building. He also defends his decision to allow an additional floor for the building, claiming it was as per law.

nithin@khaleejtimes.com