NEW DELHI: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has attached six immovable properties valued at Rs 10.55 crore belonging to the directors, shareholders and beneficial owners of Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd (APIL) in connection with a money laundering case, the agency said on Wednesday. ED Gurugram zonal office attached these properties under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Based in Gurugram (Haryana), Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and Ludhiana (Punjab), the properties are held by directors, shareholders and beneficial owners of APIL namely Sushil Ansal, Pranav Ansal and Son HUF and Kusum Ansal, in a money-laundering case stemmed from violation of provisions of The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and The Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981.
The attached properties consist of commercial units and space. Ansal Properties and Infrastructure Ltd is engaged in the business of real estate development in residential, commercial and retail segments. ED initiated investigation on the basis of Prosecution Complaints filed by Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) for commission of scheduled offences of Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 and Air (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, involving non-compliance of environmental norms by APIL in its two Gurugram-based real-estate projects- ‘Sushant Lok-I’ and ‘Esencia’.
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“APIL did not install any Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in its project ‘Sushant Lok Phase-I’ and the effluent generated was passed through HUDA sewerage line whereas the STP installed in its other project ‘Esencia’ was of inadequate capacity. During inspection of HSPCB officials, the STPs installed were also found abandoned without any operation and maintenance,” said the ED in its statement.
ED investigation further revealed that by not treating the domestic effluent and untreated sewage water as per norms, APIL on one hand caused damage to public health and environment while at the same time kept enjoying the fruits of the resultant profit. “The promoters of the company did not bother to treat the waste or to take any measures as per the HSPCB norms and thus, unduly benefited to the tune of Rs 10.55 Crore, which is nothing but the Proceeds of Crime, generated perpetually by said criminal activity,” it added.
