Adarsh Society scam: Promoters to fight Govt. in Bombay High Court

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI - Promoters of the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam have decided to file an appeal in the Bombay High Court against Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport (BEST) and Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) for their decision to disconnect electricity supply to the society and revoke occupation certificates issued to its members.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan had earlier directed the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority to revoke the occupation certificates (OC) issued to the members of the society.

The BEST, which supplies water and electricity to the building, has issued a notice to the society asking them to produce the occupation certificates or else the electricity supply would be disconnected.

Meanwhile, Congress President Sonia Gandhi earlier today held consultations with senior party leaders in New Delhi on the fate of Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan over the scam.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, Defence Minister A K Antony and senior party leader Ahmed Patel met Gandhi and are understood to have discussed the matter.

A decision by the Congress party on Chavan’s fate is expected to take some more time.

“In today’s meeting, we did not discuss any matter related to the current issues of Mumbai. The meeting we had with the Congress President was in connection to tomorrow’s AICC,” said Pranab Mukherjee.

“In respect to the Maharashtra issues, yesterday night itself I told the waiting media that we require some time to study the documents and only then will we be in a position to report to the Congress President,” he added.

Even as the next 72 hours prove to be crucial for Chavan, who made his way back to Mumbai early today, the suspense over the fate of Chavan continues.

Mukherjee, heading the two-member committee, met Antony last night shortly after arrival from Kolkata and said that he would require some more time to go through the documents and prepare a report for Sonia Gandhi.

On Saturday, the Congress President set up the two-member panel to probe how the 31-storeyed plush Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society came up on a piece of land meant for the families of Kargil martyrs and the allotment of flats to politicians, bureaucrats and military officials.

The 31-storey Adarsh Society in Colaba, Mumbai, has become the catchment area for a massive political controversy.

Former army chiefs, politicians and bureaucrats have all been allotted flats here for a fraction of the market rate.

The CBI is now investigating the scam. (ANI)