File photo: Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. (Press Trust of India)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has ordered an inquiry by the Vigilance Department into the allotment of 11 industrial plots by the erstwhile Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Panchkula.
The plots, allotted in December 2011, were allegedly given to undeserving candidates, the government said in a statement. Among them were relatives of either former chief minister Mr Hooda or his close associates and friends -- senior government officials, politicians, and legal personalities.
Among the alleged allottees are Renu Hooda, wife of Mr Hooda's nephew Mr Rajender Hooda and former Senior Additional Advocate General Narender Hooda's wife Nandita Hooda.
The BJP government, which came to power in the state last October, has received several complaints, alleging irregularities in the allotment of land in the state.
Earlier this year, the state's Finance and Industries Minister Captain Abhimanyu said in Assembly that there were questions about the genuineness of the candidates who have been allotted industrial plots.
He said the issue was pending in the Punjab and Haryana High Court and so, the state government would abide by the court's directions. The government, however, would get the matter investigated, he had added.
After coming to power, the Khattar government had maintained that it would show zero tolerance towards corruption and probe all acts of omission and commission of the previous Congress government in the state.
In March, an auditor's report was tabled that said the Hooda government granted "undue favours" to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra.
The report, prepared in 2013, said Skylight Hospitality -- the company owned by Mr Vadra -- sold 3.5 acres of land in Gurgaon near Delhi to realty giant DLF for 58 crores in 2008. The land sale, which allegedly brought windfall gains for Mr Vadra's company, was cancelled by IAS officer Ashok Khemka, who called it illegal. He was transferred within days.