NRI foundation

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has said that the Gujarat government handed over 5।77 lakh square metres of land, near Gandhinagar, to Puri Foundation, run by Nottingham-based NRI Natt Puri, "at a concessional value of Rs 75.02 lakh against the market value of Rs 28.85 crore." The foundation is setting up an Advance Research and Development Centre for Information Technology and Biotechnology on the allotted land.

The CAG scrutiny has revealed that the land was allotted in June, 2001, "without obtaining the authorisation from the department concerned which is a prerequisite for allotment of land for setting up higher educational institutions। Concessional rate was also applied to land meant for construction of residential houses"। Despite the fact that Foundation was not registered as a society in Gujarat State, under the Registered Societies Act, 1960। CAG said the Foundation did not start construction of the centre, nor did it finish completing it within three years, as required। The CAG further said, though the Foundation committed breach of several conditions, the government did not do anything about it. In yet another case CAG says, the Ahmedabad collectorate allotted 0.60 lakh square metres of land on concessional rate to the Nirma Educational and Research Foundation for setting up of management complex for architecture and post-graduation in computer, resulting in a loss of Rs 2.85 crore. Besides, citing another such case, it says, "The Ahmedabad collectorate allotted 21,300 sq metres of land to Bharat Hotels at Rs 7.39 crore in November 2005.