Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Babus turn out to be canny investors - The Times of India

Babus turn out to be canny investors - The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Of the 4,587 members of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), about 660 did not file their statements on Tuesday — the last day for declaring immovable property.

The statements posted on the department of personnel and training website shows how babus are canny investors since most of them own several properties. Greater Noida is the most preferred investment destination, followed by other parts of the sprawling and rapidly expanding National Capital Region.

Perhaps, Greater Noida figures prominently because several cooperative housing societies for government officers are being built in the upcoming township.

Among officers who own property in Greater Noida are cabinet secretary-designate A K Seth who owns a plot worth Rs 5.86 lakh; former Delhi chief secretary Rakesh Mehta whose house has a declared market value of Rs 3 lakh; Pulok Chatterji, UP cadre officer and executive director World Bank, who has paid for an under-construction four bedroom flat worth Rs 67.75 lakh; member secretary Planning Commission Sudha Pillai, who owns a flat worth Rs 53.55 lakh and additional secretary (MHA) Vishwapati Trivedi, a 1977 batch MP cadre IAS who owns a house worth about Rs 36 lakh.

Any senior bureaucrat on Central deputation possesses a plot or flat or house in Greater Noida. It is also a favourite destination for babus of AGMUT cadre, who are usually posted in Delhi at some point of their careers.

Officers, irrespective of their ranks, own several properties. However, there are some exceptions among senior officials, whose returns show that neither they nor their spouses own real estate. Many officers have not filled in the column on current market value on the plea that they have not ascertained it. There are some declarations, which appear suspect at first glance.

IAS couple Arvind and Tinoo Joshi, who are facing charges under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, have declared that they own two agricultural plots in Secunderabad Village in Bhopal, whose current market value is about Rs 1.60 crore and a HIG flat in Dwarka in the national Capital worth Rs 60 lakh.

Their total net worth of real estate is about Rs 25 lakh more than the alleged cash seizure of Rs 2 crore from their residence during the income tax raids. The couple is also alleged to have made transactions of Rs 250 crore in the capital market just ahead of the raids. Enforcement Directorate has estimated that the couple is worth more than Rs 350 crore.

Former NDMC chairman Parimal Rai, who was one of the officers indicted in the Shunglu Commission report, has declared eight properties, including two flats in posh Green Park. He has valued the flats at Rs 10 lakh each, which is out of sync with the current property prices in the city. His other possessions include a four-bedroom deluxe flat in Lucknow, and a plot in Ghaziabad. A K Mehta, a J K cadre 1978 batch joint secretary in Union urban development ministry, owns 10 immovable properties, including three plots – two of which are in Golf City (Noida sector 75) worth Rs 37 lakh each – and a property in a Dwarka mall worth Rs 16 lakh.

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