Adarsh Society scam: How Maharashtra government cashed in on Kargil

Mumbai: The land on which Mumbai's controversial Adarsh Housing Society came up may not officially have been allotted for Kargil heroes, but the fact remains that the Maharashtra government itself used references to Kargil heroes to lobby for clearances from the Centre. (Read: Where are the Kargil martyrs in the allottees? | Was this General the mastermind?)

NDTV is in possession of correspondence between the Principal Secretary to the government of Maharashtra, S V Joshi, and Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, seeking environmental clearances for the society.

In a letter dated August 19, 1999 to the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the government of Maharashtra had mentioned Kargil heroes. It was in 1999 when for the very first time, the proposal for this housing society came up.

Here's what the letter says:

'The housing society has members who are defence personnel and have dedicated their life to the service of the motherland and deserve all special consideration. Several members even today are fighting at Kargil and surrounding areas. It is requested that considering the above mentioned facts, the NoC for development of the land under reference may be considered as a special case.'