Lucknow, Mar 29 (KNN) Rubbishing the claims made by UP Minister Azam Khan of industrialists "selling government lands", Indian Industries Association (IIA) President Manish Goel told KNN that the allegations are false.

Khan, on Monday, in a letter to Principal Secretary (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), the urban development and minority welfare minister had claimed that industrialists have sold valuable land and surprisingly, the state government and the administration have not received any information about their “misdeeds”.

Responding to this, IIA supremo said, “The allegations are false. Can anyone sell government land?”

Goel further said that the association has replied to the allegations and the balance sheets of the industries running in the area have been given to the Directorate of Industries.

“All the industries are running,” he said.

The industrialists have said that some of the members of the Samajwadi Party wanted the lands to be allotted to their known ones but the Directorate of Industries did not do so.
“This is why they are asking to cancel the licence of the industries,” said the industrialist.

IIA President said that many industries have guest houses on the upper floor of their units and as per the norms they are not illegal.

“If anything is happening against the law, then IIA will not interfere in the actions taken,” Goel said.

According to a media report, in the letter, Azam Khan mentioned about the discussion he had with the principal secretary over these issues, following which, he was assured that the “act of white-collared namesake industrialists, to sell industrial land, will be taken seriously”.

“But even after a fortnight, the government is yet to probe the issue... This is when no reservation norms for allotment of land to SC, ST and minorities were followed,” he added.

The minister further alleged that officials had ignored norms because they share personal relations with the industrialists. “This is the only reason why not a single illegal building in the industrial area of Rampur has been demolished,” he claimed.

“...If it is due to procedural delay, then for whose benefit it is being delayed... and if there is no delay, then the secret reasons should be revealed, which has stopped officials from taking action in Rampur,” wrote Khan.

Azam added while the “officer may not be in a position to give justice to the poor people of Rampur, he should answer his queries”. (KNN Bureau)