Gujarat CM Anandiben Patel. (File photo)

Ahmedabad: The state government on Wednesday told the high court that there was no wrongdoing in the allocation of land near the Gir sanctuary to the business partner of Anar Patel, chief minister Anandiben Patel's daughter, and that the alleged scam was a figment of the petitioners' imagination, who questioned the land deal at a belated stage in their PIL.

Joint secretary, revenue department, Bharat Trivedi told the court that the allocation of 9.94 lakh square metres of land on payment of Rs 1.67 crore to Wildwoods Resort and Realities Pvt Ltd near Patla village of Dhari block in Amreli was done according to procedure. Fixing the price at Rs 15 per square metre was made at three levels - district-, state-level valuation committees and finally approved by the state cabinet.

The reply came in response to a PIL filed by RTI Activists Sangathan, questioning the land allocation without auction and at a throwaway price. The government asserted that the allotment was in furtherance of the policy to promote tourism. It also maintained that the forest department's NOC was obtained.

The state government did not, however, elaborate on the green clearance for this project, except that the Centre had given it a go-bye. The government called this case an exceptional one so far as price fixation is concerned. It argued that the land is in a remote place and with no scope of development in the near future, without any precedence of sale of industrial or commercial or even non-agricultural plots.

