Chandigarh
30 November 2017
DIVYA AZAD
In a strong rebuttal to the allegations levelled against former Union Minister and ex-MP Pawan Kumar Bansal by MP Kirron Kher over the reason behind the high conversion rates of leasehold properties into freehold, Bansal called her accusation as an ‘effort to stave off criticism on her own failure’ to get the conversion rates fixed at an affordable rate.
“I accept with a sense of satisfaction that I firmly opposed a move of Chandigarh administration to revise conversion rates in 2013 Safeguarding the Interest of The People but it’s a strange logic of Mrs Kher to attribute this fifty-five times hike to non-increase in rates for seventeen years”, said Bansal.
He further said, “These conversion rates were never tagged to collector’s rates. Once you accept the concept of freehold and that people are the owners of the plot they have, the conversion rate has to be a very affordable and reasonable one – keeping in mind both the allotment price and the substantial amount that has already been paid in the form of ground rent since allotment. Therefore. this entire criticism evaporates in thin air.”
Employees Housing Scheme
“By accusing me for not being able to get implemented the CHB housing scheme that I got framed in 2008 Mrs Kher cannot justify her failure. Now she and the BJP has had over three and a half years to implement the same, especially when there are directions of Punjab & Haryana High court as well.”
He added, “Strange are the ways of this government! While on one hand they’re beating the drum of ‘housing-for-all’, here they’ve rejected the proposal on the specious grounds that employees housing is not a public purpose. There’s so much land, more than 120 acres at IT Park available now with the Administration/CHB and the commitment must be honoured especially when initial instalment of cost had been accepted long back. The MP cannot wash off her responsibility by saying that we failed to do it.”
Aghast by Kher’s statement on Gang-rape
“One is aghast to have such a statement from a responsible person like an MP. Gang-rape is a very serious matter which deserves serious consideration. Instead of judging the victim’s decision of boarding an auto occupied by three men, one expected a serious response from her. “She should have instead informed about what discussions she’s had with the authorities over the security of women in Chandigarh and what steps are proposed to make Chandigarh a crime-free city, which might include better lighting of all the roads, greater mobility of PCR vehicles, and taking steps to instill fear in minds of potential miscreants”, Bansal said.
