Seeking to “expose” a Rs 1,767 crore land scam involving the state-run the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), the Mumbai Congress on Monday charged that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had allotted a prime plot of land at Navi Mumbai to a builder for a measly sum.
Addressing a joint news conference, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam and party’s national spokesperson Ranjeet Singh Surjewala alleged that Fadnavis-led saffron alliance Government had transferred 24 acres of land worth Rs 1767 crores, to Paradise Builders, for a mere sum of Rs 3.60 crore.
They alleged that the plot of land belong4ed to the CIDCO and it was reportedly meant to rehabilitate project-affected persons and farmers of the Koyna dam project.
Within hours after the Congress’ news conference, Maharashtra’s BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandrai dismissed all the allegations terming them as “false and baseless”, while party’s legislator and a Fadnavis' associate Prasad lad threatened to file a Rs 500-crore defamation against Nirupam and the Congress.
“Getting photographed with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis is no proof for the scam. There is no truth in the allegations made by Nirupam. I have had close relations with many political leaders and builders over the years,” lad said, at a news conference held later in the evening.
“Causing loss to the public exchequer and betraying the poor in order to shower the rich crony friends is deeply intrinsic character of the BJP. The ‘suit-boot’ governments at the centre and in BJP-ruled states seek to outbid each other in benefitting their handful of crony friends,” Nirupam alleged.
Nirupam charged that Fadnavis had doled largesse to the builder in his capacity as the Minister in charge of the Urban Development portfolio.
According to Nirupam, Paradise Builders had in 2017 sought land in Navi Mumbai close to the proposed international airport and “the officials allegedly identified gullible farmers ousted in the Koyna Dam project to getting CIDCO land allotted and then transferring it to the realtor”.
In February 2018, Nirupam said Raigad collector allotted the 24 acres of land in Survey Nos. 180/0, Village Ranjanpada to eight ousted farmer families of Koyna Dam project.
“The Paradise Buildes had already entered into an agreement to transfer this land for Rs 15 lakh per acres with the farmers. The CIDCO and Urban Development Department headed by Fadnavis gave their NOC to de-notify the land so it could be transferred to the builder,” Nirupam alleged.
Nirupam also alleged that all other formalities were completed speedily and the builder was given the possession of the land last month, at a pittance of Rs.15 lakh per acre, when CIDCO had sold the adjoining plots of lands for a staggering Rs 184,000 per square metre.
Dubbing the Navi Mumbai land deal as a mega-scam, Nirupam and Surjewala have demanded a committee of two sitting judges of the Bombay High Court.
Among the questions they posed to the Maharashtra government were: who were the eight project-affected farmers, how were they identified, how were they allotted prime CIDCO lands instead of agricultural land, how did the builder make the agreements of sale with the farmers and why did the famers sell immediately the CIDCO land, after the allotment and that to for a pittance compared to the market value.
They wanted to know what was the relationship between CIDCO-UDD and the Paradise Builders, and why they secured Fadnavis’ blessings for a ‘sweetheart deal’ at a pittance of Rs 3.60 crore for prime land worth around Rs 1,767 crore.