About 10 acres of prime land in the national capital have been given at a meagre rent of Rs 150 per year!
The Delhi government has allotted the land at those rates to a joint-venture between a society and a private player for a Drivers' Training Institute, according to an RTI reply given by the Transport department.
The case came before the Central Information Commission as an RTI applicant Virender Pal Gupta's application seeking details of the "Management Agreement" of Society for Drivers Training Institute (SDTI) -- a joint venture between Ashok Leyland and Transport Department -- was turned down.
"The appellant claims that 10 acres of land with a building has been given to this entity. The PIO (Transport Department) has informed the appellant that Rs 150 per year is charged as rent for this," Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi said in his order.
After going through the documents presented before it, the Commission noted that entire profit or loss in the venture would be borne by SDTI which is founded by Ashok Leyland Limited.
"A perusal of the management agreement does not appear to reveal how the profit, if any, of the entity would be shared...A plain reading of this indicate that the profit or loss would be borne by SDTI which is said to be society founded by a private company M/s Ashok Leyland Limited and 10 acres of land and a monopoly franchise has been given to it by Delhi government," Gandhi said.
The Commission directed the PIO to give a copy of any other agreement on the financial participation to the appellant and the Commission.
"If there is no agreement on the financial participation the PIO is directed to give photocopies of the proposal evaluation which may have been done before making this agreement to the Commission and the appellant," Gandhi said.
