Maharashtra’s Urban Development Minister stays allotment of plot

Minister of state for urban development Ranjit Patil has ordered a stay on allotment of Cidco land worth Rs 1,600 crore at Parsik Hill in CBD-Belapur. The minister has called for an inquiry committee to be constituted and a report submitted to the urban development department. About 66 tenants (500 families) have alleged that the landlord of Waghivali village in Panvel taluka cheated them and illegally acquired 53,200 sq m of land at Parsik Hill as compensation. He then inked a tripartite agreement with a city-based builder. The case dates back to the 1970s when the cultivable land having 66 protected tenants was acquired by Cidco. The Mundada family were the landowners. The tenants have alleged that in connivance with Iraisaa Developers, the Mundadas deleted their names from the 7/12 documents in the revenue department. Using this tampered document, a tripartite agreement was signed between Cidco, the landlord and Iraisaa Developers in 2010. In 2014, Cidco gave development permission to Iraisaa. Subsequently, Cidco’s joint MD V Radha served a showcause notice to Iraissa Developers and the landlord and brought a stay on land allotment. Current MD and vice-chairman Bhushan Gagrani withdrew this order. Waghivali villagers then wrote to the CM threatening mass suicide and sought the intervention of the state UDD. Leader of opposition in the council Dhananjay Munde took up the matter as calling attention motion in the winter session of the legislature and sought justice for the project-affected Waghivali villagers. The UD minister’s order has now given a ray of hope to villagers. Bhupendra Shah, proprietor of Iraisaa Developers said, “In the land allotment at Belapur to our construction firm, there has been no fraudulent act as the protected tenants of Waghivali village have, of their own will, handed over ownership rights to the landlord way back in 1962, which is mentioned in the revenue department records. Also, we have challenged the showcause notice served by Cidco to our firm in HC and we have obtained a stay on it.”