Mohali: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned former Punjab chief secretary and senior IAS officer Anurag Verma on Aug 31 in connection with alleged irregularities involving change of land use (CLU) permissions and layout modifications in major real estate projects, including Suntec City and Altus Space Builder Private Limited.The investigation is examining the circumstances under which the decisions were taken and whether procedural norms were allegedly relaxed or altered to benefit specific private developers.Repeated phone calls to Verma for his response went unanswered.One of the issues under the agency’s scanner relates to the alleged modification of the approved layout of Muirwoods Ecocity, a mega project in New Chandigarh (Mullanpur), Mohali. Sources said following the alleged layout modification, the project’s group housing sites were transferred to Dhir Construction, associated with businessman Gaurav Dhir. Sources said an application seeking transfer of the sites to Gmada was rejected, and they were then allegedly transferred to the private developer.Sources said the ED is also looking into a policy reversal carried out in 2022, when Aman Arora was the minister for housing and urban development. The probe is expected to examine the background to the policy change, the decision-making process and its implications for private developers involved in such projects.Another major issue reportedly being examined concerns Suntec City. Sources alleged there were material misrepresentations in the matter which, if established, could have drawn action under Section 90 of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act (PRTPD Act). However, instead, the authorities allegedly proceeded under Section 85, which sources claim resulted in the developer being safeguarded from more stringent action.The ED is likely to examine the official records, approvals, noting sheets, correspondence and the sequence of administrative decisions to determine whether the provisions of the law were correctly applied and whether any individual or private entity received an undue benefit.The ED is also examining the role of officials involved in the approval, modification and implementation of decisions concerning the projects.The agency is expected to question the former bureaucrat about the decision-making process, the relevant govt policies, approvals granted to the projects and the circumstances leading to the alleged changes in land-use and layouts.
