In a shocking fraud committed in connivance with revenue officials, the Indian Air Force's emergency airfield (Jahaz Ground) in Ferozepur Cantonment has been sold off to private persons.
Spread over 15 acres and worth several crores of rupees, the airfield is a part of the 982 acres of prime land acquired by the British government in 1939 for use by the Royal Air Force during World War II.
Later, the Indian Air Force used the same airfield in the 1962, 1965 and 1971 wars. The vast Airfield grounds were used for camouflaging weaponry.
Presently physical control of the 'Jahaz Ground' is with the Army, while operational and administrative control remains with the IAF's Halwara air base authorities in Ludhiana district.
In 1997, Usha Ansal, now a resident of Delhi sold off the 15-acre airfield to five private persons using a general power of attorney (GPA) executed by her brother-in-law Madan Mohan Lal who earlier resided in Ferozepur. But Lal died in 1991. Hence, the GPA beca...