Akhand Paath, Yamuna Kinare
VIJAY UPADHYAY
AGRA. There is an old saying that “those whose houses are made of glass, don’t throw stones on the houses of others”, but the former chief secretary of UP Akhand Pratap Singh did exactly that.
When this “venerable gentleman” was suspending top IAS officials like D.S. Bagga & P.L. Punia for their involvement in the Taj Corridor scam, he had already created the grounds for another “corridor” for himself in Agra besides the river Yamuna.
Now, when the CBI has applied brakes to the full-throttle corruption-ride of AP Singh, the links of his corruption are being unearthed all over the state. One such link has been uncovered in Agra, where 132 acres of land worth several crores was “donated” by him freely to an agricultural society to “grow potatoes”, against all established norms and practices.
The land has now been taken back from the society, after the UP Chief Minister issued strict directives to the Agra administration to get the land vacated, during his Agra visit. Taking firm step on the issue, S.R. Lakha, UP Principal Secretary for Horticulture & Food Processing has recommended strong action against three PCS & four IAS officials involved in this scam, one of whom has already retired from service, but the problems of AP Singh have just begun and Bhavna Vishwanath, the lady in whose name this land was allotted, could be the new face of doom for him, her becoming the new source of information in the CBI inquiry against AP Singh.
Talking to The Pioneer on Saturday, Agra District Magistrate Sanjay Prasad said that he had received orders from the Principal Secretary Horticulture on 13th April to get the land vacated and restore the government’s possession on the land, which was executed immediately and report in this regard has been sent to the Principal Secretary. He said that the lease on this land has been cancelled and the possession has been restored to the Horticulture department.
The story behind this scam is as interesting as that behind the Heritage Corridor scandal that came close to destroying the political career of the then UP Chief Minister Mayawati. Using his clout in the government, AP Singh, who was the Agricultural Production Commissioner in the Mayawati government in the year 2002, “transferred” the possession of a valuable 132 acre plot of land besides the river Yamuna in Agra for “free” to a newly constituted society headed by a woman named “Bhavana Vishwanath”, who claims that the land had been “granted” to the society on a lease to develop new varieties of potato suitable for making potato chips.
Department of Horticulture sources indicate that while the usual procedure followed in such cases involving the lease of government land worth more than Rs. 25 lacs to a private organization requires the approval of the cabinet, no such approval was sought in this case. According to the sources, first 20 acres of land was transferred to the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh of Agra, in the year 2002 and about four months afterwards, the rest of the land was leased to the society despite strong opposition by the local “Aloo Utpadak Sangh”.
Incidentally, the land in question is located on the bank of river Yamuna in the vicinity of the Keetham lake and “Soor Kuti”, the ancient home of poet Surdas, surrounded by a large forested area. A proposal for the construction of a sports stadium near this land is also under process.
But when The Pioneer contacted this mysterious “Bhavna Vishwanath” on telephone at her residence in the posh Defense colony of Delhi, she completely denied having any knowledge of the cancellation of the lease on her land and claimed that she had only received a letter questioning the validity of the lease and her society. She said that the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh operated from the Sanjay Place area of Agra, with the day-to-day issues of the society handled by its Treasurer Manish Agarwal & Secretary Devesh Agarwal, who also ran a “potato chips” factory Shri Bankey Bihari Food Products Pvt. Ltd. in Agra.
Ms. Vishwanath, who claims to hail from a reputed family of Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, said that the land had been leased to her society by the then Director of UP Horticulture department MM Sinha under a newly introduced scheme of the UP Government directing that unused or sodic govt. land could be provided to private societies on lease for agricultural purpose. She said that the purpose of leasing this particular piece of land was to develop a variety of potato suitable for making potato chips as the potato variety available in Agra and the nearby region was not suitable for the purpose.
On the role of former UP Chief Secretary AP Singh, who had also arrived in Agra to inaugurate this farm, in this “scam”, Ms. Vishwanath claimed that there was no direct connection of Mr. AP Singh with the project and he had merely arrived in Agra in his capacity as the Agricultural Production Commissioner of UP.
But the real fact behind this “story” uncovered by The Pioneer, reveal a totally different tale. Customarily, only those societies are leased a plot of land in Uttar Pradesh, that are at least five years old but the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh was constituted in the same year when the land was allotted to the society against all norms. Another interesting fact is that Bhavna Vishwanath, who claims to be the chairperson of the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh has never been seen on the tax attorney’s office in Sanjay Place commercial complex of Agra, which is also registered as the office of the society on papers.
Also, the lease deed that had been hastily prepared favoring the newly constituted society on the “express recommendation” of AP Singh, never mentioned any duration or yearly rent of the land, indicating that the land had indeed been bestowed as a “free favor” by a powerful bureaucrat to his chosen ones and it would have continued to remain in possession of the society if this scam had not broken out. It is also very interesting to note that Raj Kishore Singh, the present UP minister for Horticulture held the same portfolio in the Mayawati government when this scam had been plotted by AP Singh, casting a shadow of doubt over his role in this scam.
But while AP Singh is now facing the music for his deeds in the hands of the CBI, his role in this scam has remained hidden from the eyes of the Agency which could now question Bhavna Vishwanath for her links with AP Singh.
VIJAY UPADHYAY, AGRA
AGRA. There is an old saying that “those whose houses are made of glass, don’t throw stones on the houses of others”, but the former chief secretary of UP Akhand Pratap Singh did exactly that.
When this “venerable gentleman” was suspending top IAS officials like D.S. Bagga & P.L. Punia for their involvement in the Taj Corridor scam, he had already created the grounds for another “corridor” for himself in Agra besides the river Yamuna.
Now, when the CBI has applied brakes to the full-throttle corruption-ride of AP Singh, the links of his corruption are being unearthed all over the state. One such link has been uncovered in Agra, where 132 acres of land worth several crores was “donated” by him freely to an agricultural society to “grow potatoes”, against all established norms and practices.
The land has now been taken back from the society, after the UP Chief Minister issued strict directives to the Agra administration to get the land vacated, during his Agra visit. Taking firm step on the issue, S.R. Lakha, UP Principal Secretary for Horticulture & Food Processing has recommended strong action against three PCS & four IAS officials involved in this scam, one of whom has already retired from service, but the problems of AP Singh have just begun and Bhavna Vishwanath, the lady in whose name this land was allotted, could be the new face of doom for him, her becoming the new source of information in the CBI inquiry against AP Singh.
Talking to The Pioneer on Saturday, Agra District Magistrate Sanjay Prasad said that he had received orders from the Principal Secretary Horticulture on 13th April to get the land vacated and restore the government’s possession on the land, which was executed immediately and report in this regard has been sent to the Principal Secretary. He said that the lease on this land has been cancelled and the possession has been restored to the Horticulture department.
The story behind this scam is as interesting as that behind the Heritage Corridor scandal that came close to destroying the political career of the then UP Chief Minister Mayawati. Using his clout in the government, AP Singh, who was the Agricultural Production Commissioner in the Mayawati government in the year 2002, “transferred” the possession of a valuable 132 acre plot of land besides the river Yamuna in Agra for “free” to a newly constituted society headed by a woman named “Bhavana Vishwanath”, who claims that the land had been “granted” to the society on a lease to develop new varieties of potato suitable for making potato chips.
Department of Horticulture sources indicate that while the usual procedure followed in such cases involving the lease of government land worth more than Rs. 25 lacs to a private organization requires the approval of the cabinet, no such approval was sought in this case. According to the sources, first 20 acres of land was transferred to the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh of Agra, in the year 2002 and about four months afterwards, the rest of the land was leased to the society despite strong opposition by the local “Aloo Utpadak Sangh”.
Incidentally, the land in question is located on the bank of river Yamuna in the vicinity of the Keetham lake and “Soor Kuti”, the ancient home of poet Surdas, surrounded by a large forested area. A proposal for the construction of a sports stadium near this land is also under process.
But when The Pioneer contacted this mysterious “Bhavna Vishwanath” on telephone at her residence in the posh Defense colony of Delhi, she completely denied having any knowledge of the cancellation of the lease on her land and claimed that she had only received a letter questioning the validity of the lease and her society. She said that the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh operated from the Sanjay Place area of Agra, with the day-to-day issues of the society handled by its Treasurer Manish Agarwal & Secretary Devesh Agarwal, who also ran a “potato chips” factory Shri Bankey Bihari Food Products Pvt. Ltd. in Agra.
Ms. Vishwanath, who claims to hail from a reputed family of Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh, said that the land had been leased to her society by the then Director of UP Horticulture department MM Sinha under a newly introduced scheme of the UP Government directing that unused or sodic govt. land could be provided to private societies on lease for agricultural purpose. She said that the purpose of leasing this particular piece of land was to develop a variety of potato suitable for making potato chips as the potato variety available in Agra and the nearby region was not suitable for the purpose.
On the role of former UP Chief Secretary AP Singh, who had also arrived in Agra to inaugurate this farm, in this “scam”, Ms. Vishwanath claimed that there was no direct connection of Mr. AP Singh with the project and he had merely arrived in Agra in his capacity as the Agricultural Production Commissioner of UP.
But the real fact behind this “story” uncovered by The Pioneer, reveal a totally different tale. Customarily, only those societies are leased a plot of land in Uttar Pradesh, that are at least five years old but the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh was constituted in the same year when the land was allotted to the society against all norms. Another interesting fact is that Bhavna Vishwanath, who claims to be the chairperson of the Bankey Bihari Kisan Seva Sangh has never been seen on the tax attorney’s office in Sanjay Place commercial complex of Agra, which is also registered as the office of the society on papers.
Also, the lease deed that had been hastily prepared favoring the newly constituted society on the “express recommendation” of AP Singh, never mentioned any duration or yearly rent of the land, indicating that the land had indeed been bestowed as a “free favor” by a powerful bureaucrat to his chosen ones and it would have continued to remain in possession of the society if this scam had not broken out. It is also very interesting to note that Raj Kishore Singh, the present UP minister for Horticulture held the same portfolio in the Mayawati government when this scam had been plotted by AP Singh, casting a shadow of doubt over his role in this scam.
But while AP Singh is now facing the music for his deeds in the hands of the CBI, his role in this scam has remained hidden from the eyes of the Agency which could now question Bhavna Vishwanath for her links with AP Singh.
VIJAY UPADHYAY, AGRA
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