Tag Archives: Mussoorie Officials

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Totally endorse the stand taken by Parrikar. A minister should listen to everyone but must act in accordance with constitution and for the larger good – Amita, Chennai

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The aforementioned comment was posted by Amita from Chennai on the TOI article “business ally’s resort in Mussoorie: Officials” 19th July 2016

By seeing these views, the DRDO team gets charged to fight against corruption because they feel confident that a Defence Minister like Sh. Parrikar is there to stop all corrupt influences. Maybe some time is taken and some delays occur, but ultimately this corrupt gang of DRDO will soon get a big hit for their wrong doings.

Last few days Mr. Narang continue visiting ITM with a mobile and discussed the issue with ITM officials and showed his clarifications of property and asked whether ITM had complained officially or not. If they had not, then he asked for a letter mentioning some favors.

During the time of earlier Director, Mr. Narang visited ITM with a briefcase but returned without the briefcase and coincidentally the then Director and number two both were on long leave for few days and in between the construction was done in full swing.

Here is a copy of the letter sent to CVC regarding the property developed in the cantonment area adjacent to ITM, DRDO.

 

To                                                                               Date: 06.07.2016

The Chief Vigilance Commissioner,

Satarkata Bhawan,

New Delhi

Sub: Mushrooming illegal Hotels and Guest houses in Landour Cantt. Mussoorie

Honourable Chief Vigilance Commissioner,

I am writing this letter to complain about illegal high investment commercial activities going on in Landour Cantonment probably in collusion with officials, and members of cantonment board.

If Mussoorie is called “Queen of Hills” then Lanodur Cantt. Area can be called as “Crown of the Queen”. You may be aware that the green cover of these beautiful hills is being destroyed by indiscriminate urbanization, and commercial activity turning them into concrete jungles. Unfortunately, where Cantonment areas are supposed to be an example of clean and green with strict following of law and order, and integrity but we got an example of such cantonment in Landour which seems to be working other way and helping cronies occupy prime locations and indulging in indiscriminate, illegal commercial activities. The institute of Technology Management, DRDO is located in the Landour Cantt. And is the major stakeholder of the cantonment area. As Scientist of DRDO, and Officer In charge of Works (Estate) of Institute of Technology Management, I tried to do my best in my official capacity to highlight these activities in the vicinity of institute with Cantonment board authorities including GOC of Uttarakhand Subarea  on grounds of destruction of green cover of the hill, encroachment of  ITM roads, and high density moment of foreign tourist visiting these illegal hotels and guest houses posing severe inconvenience  and security threat to DRDO lab but I found things are much murkier than what I imagined. There is a sense of systematic and deep rooted corruption in Cantonment to allow multi billion investments by big players in hospitality industry with covert protection for flourishing their business.

Since I felt I have severe limitation to tackle at an official capacity, I should write to you at personal level to deal with the situation with suitable action. There are many high end hotels and guest houses running here illegally such as Rokeby Manor, Bothwell Bank, Tabour Cottage, Pine Tree Lodge, Lanodur Bakery (All owned by Mars Hospitality Group of Mr. Sanajay Narang), La Villa Batheny, Ivy Bank, Domas Inn, Devdar Woods,  Prospect Point. When ITM wrote to CEO cantonment about how you give these guest houses permission without any parking space due to which ITM roads are being blocked! In reply he said, we gave no permission to any such guesthouses to run. This shocking reply itself shows how such high end guest houses can run without covert support of Cantonment officials and members. Majority of these guesthouses are owned by Mr. Sanajay Narang, surprisingly all these within a span of 4-5 years. Mr. Sanajay Narang also constructed a big mansion (Dahlia Bank) behind ITM violating Works of Defence ACT. ITM in a court case with him with this regard (He filed a writ petition after losing the same case in Supreme court of India) in this case too Cantt. took good sweet time to comply with orders of SC so that he gets good time to file a writ petition. These high end hotels are made with investment worth 100s of crores (Especially hotels of Mr Narang) and cater to foreign tourists, high end guests including ministers, VIPS and judges. Its impossible to run 12 hotels without permission in a cantonment area, if integrity and sanctity of the Cantonment is intact. If Cantt. Not given any such permission than they are not even charging these properties to the tune of amount chargeable from commercial properties! Moreover, Cantonment board them self indulging in such activities, such as Building of Ivy Cafe, where they have initially taken sanction for double story car parking but the lower level space was constructed in such a way so that it becomes impossible for parking cars. This basement was later rented out for a cafe. In the same way, for another property the board has taken initial sanction for Cantt. Accommodation and guest house, but leased out to a private party to run guesthouse for civil tourist. The guy who has taken lease of this property had expanded to a big cafe but lack no space for a vehicle parking. This property made serious congestion of key road leading to ITM. It sounds fishy about how sanction for constructing something else has been changed to constructing a building for entirely for different purpose.

These all activities in the Landour Cantt ruining sanctity and credibility of a cantonment and promoting rampant corruption and destroying green belt of the Crown of the Queen of the Hills (Mussoorie). I humbly request you to kindly order an enquiry on how these illegal hotels are running, who are behind it, involvement of Cantonment officials and presidents since last 6-7 years and save this serene hill from thugs and thieves. There is a serious fraud and corruption happening here, I wonder it may prove bigger than “Adarsh Housing Scam”.

Thank you

 

                                                                                                                           Landour Cantt. Mussoorie

 

Enclosures:

 

Letters related to communication with Landour Cantt.

Screenshots of web pages of these guesthouses

Other related documents

Copy to

Director General, Central Bureau of Investigation, New Delhi

Director General of Defence Estates, New Delhi (Without enclosures)

 

Drdo

business ally’s resort in Mussoorie: Officials

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ET Bureau | Jul 19, 2016
sachin toiDELHI: Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar had sought Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s help to rescue a plush holiday retreat he frequents in Landour, Mussoorie, from a security dispute with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Such was the urgency of the matter that Tendulkar, a Rajya Sabha member, even cut short a trip to Australia last year just to meet Parrikar with this request, senior defence ministry officials familiar with the matter told ET.
The property in question is his famed summer den Dahlia Bank in the Landour cantonment area that has allegedly breached the 50-foot, no-construction zone next to the Institute of Technology Management, a sensitive DRDO establishment.
The home is partly owned by Tendulkar’s business partner Sanjay Narang. Parrikar is believed to have given a “patient hearing” to the Indian batting legend but desisted from making any intervention in the issue.
South Block officials told ET that the defence minister was unwilling to do so in a matter involving alleged illegal construction next to a sensitive DRDO laboratory complex.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar didn’t intervene
“Tendulkar had been trying to meet the minister and an appointment was set up. He spoke at length about the property case, which was heard out. However, no action was taken on the request put forward,” a senior official told ET.
Tendulkar didn’t respond to ET’s questions on the matter. The defence ministry declined to issue a formal comment on the issue.
The institute’s version is that Narang had obtained permissions to build tennis courts in what is called the ‘restricted construction zone’ around the establishment but instead went on to construct full-fledged buildings.
Narang did not respond to questions sent by ET but his representative, who did not want to be named, claimed that the area in dispute fell outside the zone. She further alleged that the DRDO institute had taken a “faulty stand” and had made “wrong interpretations”.
The hotelier owns several properties in and around the Landour cantonment area that has emerged as a highend tourist destination near Mussoorie.
However, these building activities have attracted controversy with a complaint on “illegal high-investment commercial activities” reaching the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation last month

Drdo

Sachin Tendulkar sought Defence Minister’s help to rescue business ally’s resort in Mussoorie: Officials

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By Manu Pubby, ET Bureau | Jul 19, 2016

NEW DELHI: Cricketing icon Sachin Tendulkar had sought Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar’s help to rescue a plush holiday retreat he frequents in Landour, Mussoorie, from a security dispute with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).

Such was the urgency of the matter that Tendulkar, a Rajya Sabha member, even cut short a trip to Australia last year just to meet Parrikar with this request, senior defence ministry officials familiar with the matter told ET.

The property in question is his famed summer den Dahlia Bank in the Landour cantonment area that has allegedly breached the 50-foot, no-construction zone next to the Institute of Technology Management, a sensitive DRDO establishment.

The home is partly owned by Tendulkar’s business partner Sanjay Narang. Parrikar is believed to have given a “patient hearing” to the Indian batting legend but desisted from making any intervention in the issue.

dahlia bank ET 19 july 2016South Block officials told ET that the defence minister was unwilling to do so in a matter involving alleged illegal construction next to a sensitive DRDO laboratory complex..

The nstituite’s version is that Narang had obtained permissions to build tennis courts in what is called the ‘restricted construction zone’ around the establishment but instead went on to construct full-fledged buildings.

Narang did not respond to questions sent by ET but his representative, who did not want to be named, claimed that the area in dispute fell outside the zone. She further alleged that the DRDO institute had taken a “faulty stand” and had made “wrong interpretations”.

The hotelier owns several properties in and around the Landour cantonment area that has emerged as a high end tourist destination near Mussoorie.

However, these building activities have attracted controversy with a complaint on “illegal high-investment commercial activities” reaching the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation last month.