Robert Vadra's land deals exposed, paid Haryana farmers less than circle rate

New Delhi: Just a day after Haryana government denied favouring Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra and DLF, CNN-IBN has accessed documents showing how Vadra bought acres of land in the Mewat region of Haryana below the circle rate. The documents suggest Vadra has been on a property buying spree in Haryana and had picked up acres of land directly from farmers in 2008 and 2009.

Vadra's firm Real Earth Estates Ltd purchased over 27 acres in Mewat region and paid rates way lower than collector's fixed circle rates for the region. Villagers say land sale at rates lower than circle rates is common in Mewat. The Opposition now alleges low price land sale to Vadra should be investigated.

Documents in possession of CNN-IBN suggest Vadra bought land around Mewat at an average price of Rs 2.6 lakh an acre during 2009. Registration documents show a firm, Messrs Real Earth Estates Private Limited as the purchaser through its director Robert Vadra. Strangely, while the collector's circle rate for property in the villages Shakarpuri and Ferozepur Jhirka in Mewat is Rs 16 lakh per acre, Vadra's firm purchased land from the villagers at the following rates:

- Ruby Tabassum: 2 acres sold for Rs 7 lakh

- Anand Dutch Foods India Ltd: 8 acres sold for R 20 lakh

- Smt Memoona: 2 acres sold for Rs 7 lakh

- Smt Razia: 2 acres sold for Rs 7 lakh

- Sri Subhash Chand: 2 acres sold for Rs 6 lakh

- Smt Firdaus Begum: 11 acres Sold for Rs 24 lakh

The average price paid by Vadra for these purchases works out to Rs 2.6 lakh an acre, even as his firm paid up stamp duty on the official collector rate of Rs 16 lakh an acre. Collector rates are considered the base price for sale of land for revenue purposes and are usually far below the market price of the land.

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