Adarsh on state govt land: Mumbai collector

Mumbai collector Chandrashekar Oak on Saturday stated before the two-member commission probing the Adarsh scam that the land on which the building stands belonged to the state government. He also admitted that there was a military establishment just 30 feet away from the Adarsh building.

Oak initially said that it was not correct to say that the land in question (where the Adarsh society is standing) is close to military establishments. But when commission counsel Dipan Merchant showed him the photographs of the Adarsh society and the surrounding area, which included the photographs of Capt Prakash Pethe Marg which is in front of the building, Oak said: “The road seen in the photograph is Capt Prakash Pethe Marg. The wall seen on the other side of the road is the military establishment. There is no footpath near the said wall. The width of the said road is roughly 30 feet.” Collector’s deposition indicates that the claim that no military establishment stands near the Adarsh CHS might not stand.

When shown other photographs, Oak admitted that there are two buildings of defence personnel, presumably Dolphin and Oyster, while there was a defence barrack and they are diagonally opposite to the Adarsh building. Oak said the width of the Capt Prakash Pethe Marg near the Adarsh society is very narrow, but it is wider at the other end where it becomes a four-lane road. The commission counsel will continue with the cross-examination of Oak on Monday. Oak is the sixth witness to depose before the commission. His deposition assumes importance as three former state chief ministers-Ashok Chavan, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushil Kumar Shinde - have passed the buck onto the collector’s office.