New Delhi:
A group of Army officers posted in and around Mumbai will now be investigated for whether they habitually conspired with local politicians and builders to allow commercial real estate projects in high-security areas.
On Monday, NDTV reported that three no-objection certificates issued in the name of army officers were forged. They granted permission to builders to construct high-rises in Kandivali, Juhu and Malad - the three projects are collectively worth 80-90 crores.
Clearances from the army are required for construction within 500 metres of any defence installation.
The Army Headquarters has ordered the Pune-based Southern Command to send a status report on the three cases by the end of the week. The Army has also filed FIRs or police complaints that allege forgery and collusion.
The Adarsh Society case exposed how army officers signed away permission for construction in return for flats in a 31-storey building in Colaba that was meant to accommodate war widows and veterans. The Army and navy objected as recently as September to those clearances.
The three new cases suggest that there was a sustained and comfortable partnership between Army officers and real estate developers. The army will try to determine which senior officers benefited from the arrangement, and whether the same men who stage-managed the Adarsh project helped deliver army clearances. Sources say the Army may seek the CBI's assistance.
The Adarsh Society case led to the army asking for a complete audit of the thousands of acres it owns across the country. It has also asked the Defence Ministry to redefine the reporting chain of the civilian officers of the Defence Estates Organisation, which manages all defence land.
Defenc estate officers currently report directly to the Defence Ministry. The Army wants them to be accountable to local military authorities.