'DNA' investigation: More skeletons tumble out of BEML society cupboard

TKA Nair, prime minister Manmohan Singh’s advisor, has denied reports that the BEML Employees’ Cooperative Society (BECS) made out-of-turn allotments to his niece A Preethy Prabha and family friend Uma Devi Nambiar in 2008.

But the chapter doesn’t end there. A social activist has now demanded a CBI inquiry to find out if BECS allotted any site to other non-members in the way that it allotted sites to Preethy and Uma Devi.

It all started when KPP Nambiar decided to gift a site, bearing no. 571, allotted by the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), to his wife Uma Devi on April 12, 2004. Nambiar was allotted the site at Rajmahal Vilas Extension, II stage, measuring 420 sq m—15 m (east to west) and 28 m (north to south)—on a lease-cum-sale basis for 10 years on April 10, 1987.

However, Uma Devi was allotted a site (measuring 60x40 sq ft) by BECS on December 15, 2008, in violation of housing society rules. The norms say anyone who owns a BDA site is not eligible to apply for a site from any housing society.

“The site allotment is against housing society rules. Uma Devi is neither a BEML employee nor a housing society member,’’ said KS Periyaswamy, a former BEML employee, who wrote to the prime minister and president Pratibha Patil, alleging unlawful allotment of sites by BECS.

Nair has claimed that no irregularities took place during allotment of BECS sites to Preethy and Uma Devi. “If the allotment of sites was not illegal, why did Uma Devi return the site to BECS?’’ asked Periyaswamy.

Uma Devi entered into a cancellation deed with BECS on December 28, 2010, stating that she did not want to sell the site to anyone due to personal reasons. BECS then sold the site to M Pitchaiah on January 28, 2011 for the same amount (Rs10.8 lakh) for which Uma Devi had bought it from BECS.

Periyaswamy’s apprehension is shared by Ganesh Koundinya, who filed a public interest litigation in HC, seeking quashing of a government order that legalised allotment of housing society sites to non-members. Koundinya has demanded a CBI inquiry to find out if BECS allotted any sites to other non-members similar to the way it allotted sites to Preethy and Uma Devi.

“While allotment of three sites to BEML CMD VRS Natarajan’s is illegal and in violation of Section 10 A of the housing cooperative society’s by-law and Section 17 B of Karnataka Cooperative Societies Act, 1959, the allotment of sites to outsiders like Preethi Prabha and Uma Devi is one among a few known cases of irregularities. The truth will not come out unless a CBI inquiry is conducted into the affairs of BECS,” Koundinya said.

“Before applying for a site from BDA or a housing cooperative society, an applicant should declare that he/she does not own any site or house in Bangalore. If the declaration is found to be false, he/she is liable for prosecution as per the housing cooperative society’s by-law. In Uma Devi’s case, the allotment of the BECS site was against the norms since she already got a site from her husband through a gift deed,’’ said S Vasudev, senior advocate.