ED Raids Former Punjab Minister Sunder Sham Arora's Home in Hoshiarpur
Enforcement Directorate conducts raids at Sunder Sham Arora's Hoshiarpur residence over an industrial plot scam involving fake documents.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) launched a major search operation on Monday morning at the residence of senior Congress leader and former Punjab Cabinet Minister Sunder Sham Arora. The raids, conducted in Hoshiarpur, were carried out with the support of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to ensure security during the operation.
Advocate H S Saini, who was present at the scene, confirmed that the officers arrived from the ED's Chandigarh office. According to Saini, the officials requested that he wait while the investigation proceeded and assured him that access and the opportunity for legal counsel would be granted once the initial search was complete.
The Roots of the Investigation: The Industrial Plot Scam
While the ED's specific findings from Monday's raid are still awaited, the action follows a complex criminal case registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) in January 2023. The case centers on the illegal transfer of an industrial plot to a private realtor company, which was then used to establish a residential township.
The controversy involves the following key entities and individuals:
- Sunder Sham Arora: Former Industry and Commerce Minister.
- Neelima, IAS: Named in the criminal case.
- Gulmohar Township Private Limited: The realtor firm that benefited from the land transfer.
- PSIDC Officials: Seven officials from the Punjab State Industrial Development Corporation (PSIDC) have already been arrested for their alleged role in the conspiracy.
How the Alleged Fraud Unfolded
According to a spokesperson for the state Vigilance Bureau, the land in question—roughly 25 acres—was originally allotted to Anand Lamps Limited in 1987 for strictly industrial purposes. This land eventually passed to Signify Innovations and was subsequently sold to Gulmohar Township after the firm obtained a no-objection certificate from the PSIDC.
The situation escalated in March 2021, when then-Minister Sunder Sham Arora forwarded a letter from Gulmohar Township to the Managing Director of the PSIDC, requesting the bifurcation of plots. A departmental committee was formed to examine this proposal.
Serious Irregularities and Fake Documents
The Vigilance Bureau's investigation revealed a series of shocking lapses by the committee tasked with reviewing the proposal:
- Illegal Expansion: The committee approved the bifurcation of plots, increasing them from 12 to 125, without reviewing the project report, articles of association, or the memorandum of association.
- Skipped Approvals: The proposal was recommended without consulting essential bodies, including the Punjab Pollution Control Board, the Municipal Corporation, the Electricity Board, the Forest Department, and the State Fire Brigade.
- Forgery: A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) analysis discovered that two pages of the official noting on the file did not match the rest of the document, suggesting that fake documents were attached to the file.
- Financial Anomalies: While PSIDC rules dictated a specific fee for the plots totaling approximately Rs 1.51 crore, the realtor firm had proactively attached a pay order for Rs 27.83 lakh to their application, despite no such demand being made by the PSIDC.
The Vigilance Bureau maintains that Gulmohar Township had no background in industrial activity, violating the original 1987 deed, and that these actions resulted in significant financial losses for the Punjab Government.