‘Premium plot for low-value land’ : Congress leaders accuse Chhattisgarh government of providing undue benefits to Minister’s wife

Published - October 02, 2026 01:50 am IST - RAIPUR

The Opposition Congress on Thursday accused the Vishnu Deo Sai government of providing undue benefits to State Minister Kedar Kashyap’s wife through a town development scheme in the State capital Raipur. Demanding a probe into the procedural lapses, the party claimed that Radhika Palace Private Limited – in which Mr Kashyap’s wife Shanti serves as a director – was allotted a commercial plot in a prime area in exchange for a patch of land whose value was much lower.

While the Minister was not available for a comment, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dismissed the allegations as baseless and the Raipur Development Authority (RDA) asserting that the allotment was done in accordance with the rules.

Under the MR-43 Urban Development Scheme, a provision has been made for the RDA to acquire the original land from landowners and, in exchange, return 40% of the land to them following the proposed development.

At a press conference held at the PCC headquarters here, Congress leaders Rakesh Gupta and Shreekumar Shankar Menon claimed that the RDA website listed a plot measuring approximately 23,327 square feet—to be allotted in exchange for the original land (OL) owned by Radhika Palace Private Limited which measured approximately 1.33 acres.

Mr. Gupta said that the value of the land that was acquired was limited to just a few lakh rupees as “it’s located on a narrow road in Nalapara Basti, Kachna”,. “In contrast, the plot that was given in exchange is situated on a 45-meter (150-foot) wide road (MR-43) near Saddu Chowk on Baloda Bazar Road (though the clarification issued by the RDA regarding the urban development scheme describes it as “proposed”). Once the road construction is complete, the value of this plot will exceed ₹20 crore,” he claimed.

Mr. Gupta also pointed out that the distance between the final plot and the OL was also large which indicated flouting of rules. He said that according to the provisions of the Chhattisgarh Town and Country Planning Act, 1973, the land area returned to the landowner after the said development must be a final plot contiguous to the original plot which was not the case in the exchange in question. “It is not permissible for the original plot to be located in one place and the final plot in another. However, corruption undoubtedly took place, with rules being flouted to benefit the company owned by the wife of the Minister concerned,” he said.

The Congress leaders sought Mr. Kashyap’s resignation and a detailed probe into the matter. The Hindu sent a query to the Minister, but he hadn’t responded till 9 pm.

RDA vice chairman J.P. Sharma clarified that the allotment was done according to the regulations. On the location of the plot being away from the original land, he said that the relocation of land parcels was necessitated to ensure compliance with NGT guidelines. “In compliance with NGT guidelines, development activities are prohibited in areas containing water sources, which must be preserved in their existing state. Consequently, the affected plot holders have been relocated and allotted plots elsewhere,” he said.

BJP spokesperson Shivnarayan Pandey dismissed the allegations as baseless and questioned the valuation numbers projected by the Congress leaders at the press conference. He said that it was common knowledge that there were two approaches: one involved land acquisition with monetary compensation, while the other entails developing the land and returning 40% of it to the original owner, with the remainder utilised for development projects. “Naturally, when land is developed, its total area decreases, but its valuation rises because infrastructure is established there—and they have factored that into the assessment. One wonders what kind of land dealings the Congress people are involved in; they have pegged the valuation at ₹20 crore,” he said

Published - October 02, 2026 01:50 am IST

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