'Full transparency': Ayodhya Ram temple trust refutes allegations of corruption in purchase of land
Full transparency': Ayodhya Ram temple trust refutes allegations of corruption in purchase of land...
Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust general secretary Champat Rai on Monday refuted allegations of corruption in the purchase of land for the proposed Ram temple in Ayodhya levelled at him by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Rai, in a statement, said that all land that the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra has bought so far has been purchased at a price much less than market rates, adding that buying and selling of the land is conducted with complete transparency and mutual dialogue and consent.
"We are applying full transparency in the purchase of land," Rai said, adding that the money is transferred online into the bank accounts of the sellers.Champat Rai's statement came a day after the SP and the AAP alleged that he bought 1.208 hectares of land in Ayodhya's Bag Bjaisi village worth Rs 2 crore at an inflated price of Rs 18.5 crore for the Ram temple with the help of trust member Anil Mishra.
Champat Rai said that the plot reports are talking about is situated at a prime location near the Ayodhya Railway Station. He added that after it was decided to buy the land, it was found that the quoted price of Rs 1,423 per square feet, was much lesser than the market price of nearby areas.
"After the price was agreed upon, the concerned persons were required to fulfil their earlier contracts, then only the concerned land could be acquired by the Trust," Rai added.
"It has been the decision of the Trust since the first day that all the payments are made directly from the bank account, the same decision has been followed in the purchase process of this land. It is also ensured that all the taxes levied by the government etc., get paid," Rai said in the statement.
AAP and SP's allegations
In a press conference on Sunday, Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former UP Minister Pawan Pandey sought a CBI probe into this land purchase by the trust. Similar allegations were levelled by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh during a separate press conference.
The SP and AAP leaders claimed that two real estate dealers purchased 1.208 hectares of land in Ayodhya for Rs 2 crore on March 18. Within "10 minutes of the purchase", alleged Pandey, the same land was sold to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra for Rs 18.5 crore.
"How did the value of that piece of land increase from Rs 2 crore to Rs 18.5 crore within five minutes," asked Pandey.
