Now Reading: ED quizzes IAS officer Brar again in Punjab land-use probe
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ED quizzes IAS officer Brar again in Punjab land-use probe
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday questioned Punjab-cadre IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar for nearly seven hours in Jalandhar in connection with a money-laundering probe into alleged irregularities in change of land use…
The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday questioned Punjab-cadre IAS officer Kanwal Preet Brar for nearly seven hours in Jalandhar in connection with a money-laundering probe into alleged irregularities in change of land use (CLU) approvals for real-estate projects. This was the 2007-batch officer's second appearance before the agency, she was earlier questioned for nine hours on August 18.
The ED sought documents on CLU clearances for two projects by the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) at Mullanpur, including Suntec City and Altus Space Builders. The agency asked for a written reply on the partial revocation of CLU for Suntec City and changes to the Altus layout, and questioned her about alleged failure to transfer land for economically weaker sections and GMADA's inaction on complaints of forged consent letters.
The questioning follows a 3,500-page ED prosecution complaint filed in July, which alleged proceeds of crime of about Rs 348 crore. The ED has summoned former Punjab chief secretary Anurag Verma for questioning on August 31.
Indian Opinion Analysis
This case stems from a 2022 FIR and now targets multiple layers of the state bureaucracy, not just the private developer. The ED's focus on CLU approvals by town planning officials and GMADA's alleged inaction tests the separation between policy-making and regulatory enforcement under the Punjab municipal framework. The questioning of Brar and the summons to Verma, a former chief secretary, signal that investigators are examining whether senior officers failed to enforce licence conditions, particularly the transfer of land for weaker sections. The next step to watch is Verma's questioning on August 31 and whether the special PMLA court in Mohali accepts the prosecution complaint.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
