Adarsh Housing Society Chairman Brig MM Wanchoo resigns

Mumbai: Brigadier (retired) MM Wanchoo, Chairman of Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society and key accused in the multi-crore Housing scam, has resigned from the post due to old age and poor health. In a resignation letter addressed to the Secretary, Brig Wanchoo wrote, "I hereby tender my resignation from the post of the Chairman of the Society due to my advancing age, poor health and deteriorating medical condition of my wife."

However, Wanchoo said he would continue to be the member of the Society. When contacted, his lawyer Captain Mukhtar Khan confirmed that Brig Wanchoo has resigned. Adarsh co-operative Housing Society, originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil war heroes and widows, ultimately came up as a 31-storey tower allegedly through collusion of bureaucrats, politicians and top defence officers.

Several politicians, three former defence service chiefs and bureaucrats have cornered flats in the building that stands in the plush Colaba area. Former Chief Ministers of Maharashtra Ashok Chavan, Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushil Kumar Shinde had been called by Adarsh Commission of Inquiry to give testimony.

Wanchoo is named as an accused in the case filed by the CBI and was allegedly a key player in the scam and got various benefits for the society. According to CBI, Wanchoo, along with Adarsh secretary RC Thakur conspired with the members of Defence services officers, officials and functionaries of Maharashtra government and others with the intention to illegally get the land allotted in favour of Adarsh cooperative housing society in which they were the members.

CBI arrested eight persons for their alleged role in the scam. Those included two retired Major Generals TK Kaul and AR Kumar, Wanchoo, former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, Adarsh promoter Kanhaiyalal Gidwani and Pradeep Vyas, the then city collector and currently, finance secretary(expenditure) in the Govt of Maharashtra. However, most of them, including Brig Wanchoo, got bail on May 29, 2012. The two-member inquiry commission set up to probe the case is likely to submit its final report next week.