The Haldia Institute of Technology, which is run by the organisation headed by Seth

Calcutta, Nov. 27: Calcutta High Court today asked the Haldia Development Authority to explain under which law Lakshman Seth had allegedly handed plots to an organisation headed by himself at a throwaway price to build educational institutions.

Three plots totalling over 70 acres were given to ICARE (Indian Center for Advancement of Research & Education) for 90 years — two of them when Seth was the Tamluk MP and chairman of the authority and the third when he was not in the post but his writ allegedly ran in the body.

The same division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice K.K. Prasad asked the state to justify its decision to replace Seth with chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti as the authority’s chairman after his defeat in the Lok Sabha polls.

A PIL by the Trinamul Congress deputy chief of the East Midnapore zilla parishad had alleged that ICARE had got the first 39 acres for Rs 37.

An engineering college, a polytechnic, a B-school, an IT school and an institute for maritime studies have come up on the 73 acres, given between 1997 and 2005.

Moving the petition for Sheikh Mahmud Hossain, advocate Sardar Amjad Ali said: “In 1997, a 38.98-acre plot was leased out to ICARE against the payment of only Rs 37 for setting up an engineering college. On February 11, 2004, the HDA (Haldia Development Authority) handed over a 24.62-acre plot to the same organisation for a polytechnic and MCA and MBA colleges. On October 10, 2005, 9.65 acres were handed over for the institute of maritime studies.”

The institutes have over 5,000 students now.

“These private institutions are making money from stu- dents. Why then was the land given so cheap?” Ali asked the court, adding: “Seth held the post of ICARE chairman when he was at the helm at HDA.”

The lawyer for the HDA conceded that over 38 acres had been handed over to the organisation in 1997 for Rs 37, but said Seth was not the authority’s chairman then. He added that ICARE had paid the market rate for the plots it got during Seth’s tenure.

“Seth became the HDA chairman after he won the Lok Sabha polls in 1998. But the first plot was handed over in 1997,” contended S.M. Hasan.

In 1997, current health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra was the authority’s chairman, but sources said that Seth, the driving force behind land acquisition in the port town for industrialisation, still had a big say on who got land where. Seth declined comment today.

Hasan said the authority had got the prevailing market rates for the plots handed over in 2004 and 2005. “The decisions were taken in greater public interest,” he added.

The East Midnapore Trinamul leader who alleged that the 2004 and 2005 plots were also given cheap did not quote any figures.

The chief executive officer of the authority, Sarad Dwivedi, said the land had been provided to ICARE following decisions taken by the board.

“After the case was filed in the high court, the urban development department sought details of our transactions with ICARE. We have sent the details,” he added.

The court asked the authority to file an affidavit within two weeks stating under what circumstances and law it had given the plots.

A second petition, moved by Tamluk resident Rathindranath Manna, alleged that the government had violated the town and country planning and development act by appointing the chief secretary the chairman of the authority.

“According to the act, sit- ting MPs are appointed chairmen of local development authorities. After Seth’s defeat from Tamluk, Trinamul Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari should have been made chairman,” he said.

The state has two weeks to explain its stand in this case, too.