Pune: In a shocking revelation, the Defence Estates Office (DEO) in Pune has brought to light a major scandal involving the unauthorized sale of fifteen old grant bungalow properties to influential individuals, real estate developers, and corporate owners with government connections. The transactions are currently under investigation by a central agency for corruption.
An officer from the Indian Defence Estates Service (IDES) disclosed that the probe into these fraudulent sales has uncovered corruption, nepotism, and favoritism, raising serious concerns among authorities. Activists in Pune Cantonment are now rallying for a comprehensive central agency investigation and the sealing of implicated bungalows by the DEO office. The recent sealing of prime bungalows, collectively valued at around Rs 200 crores, is part of the DEO’s crackdown on unauthorized sales of defence properties.
The Pune Cantonment, housing 300 Old Grant Bungalows (OGBs), and the Khadki Cantonment Board, with 60 sprawling bungalows, hold properties estimated at Rs 10,000 crore in the market. The DEO’s recent actions include sealing two prime bungalows worth around Rs 200 crores, located on defence properties. The directorate is actively working to reclaim defence properties lost to unauthorized sales.
Rajabhau Chavan, a social worker, shed light on a longstanding nexus involved in siphoning off prime old grant bungalow properties, emphasizing the need for a detailed probe. Cantonment experts argue that the recent sealing drive in Pune is just the tip of the iceberg, urging a nationwide crackdown and sealing operation to uncover the mega fraudulent bungalow sale scam, potentially running into lakhs of crores of rupees.
They propose the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate illegal defence bungalow sales across the country, calling for an immediate halt to sales through letters to the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) offices in all states with cantonments.
The experts also question the mandatory requirement of No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the DEO office before registration and demand an inquiry into the nexus between the IGR, builder lobby, and influential personalities involved in the sale of precious national assets.
