The Raigad district administration on Friday began demolishing fugitive diamond trader Nirav Modi’s beach-side sprawling illegal bungalow located off Khim beach at Alibaug, nearly 100 km from Mumbai.
Acting on the directives of the Bombay High Court which had on January 14 ordered the demolition of 58 illegal beach-side bungalows, including that of diamantaire, a team headed by Alibaug’s sub-divisional officer Sharada Powar started the demolition of Nirav Modi’s bungalow constructed in violation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms and the State’s regulations as well.
The demolition of stone-and-marble bungalow constructed on a huge verdant green plot in the vicinity of Kihim beach began at 4 pm and it would continue for the next couple of days.
Nirav Modi’s bungalow, which is spread over 33,000 sq ft, is a ground-plus-one structure.
Nirav Modi, whose bungalow has come under the hammers, and his uncle Mehul Choksi are absconding accused in the Rs.13,500 crore Punjab National Bank (PNB) scam.
Surendra Dhavale, who heads the NGO Shamburaje Yuva Kranti that sought the demolition of the illegal bungalows of Nirav Modi and others, has pegged the value of the fugitive diamond trader’s trader at Rs 13 crore, though the bungalow is worth over Rs 100 crore.
Modi’s bungalow is among 58 bungalows that have been constructed illegally in the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) areas falling in the villages like Varsoli, Sasvane, Kolgaon and Dokvade in Alibaug taluka of Raigad district.
During the hearing of a petition filed by NGO Shamburaje Yuva Kranti seeking directions to pull down unauthorised bungalows constructed by “wealthy and law-breaking people” on the pretext of their being agriculturists, the Maharashtra Government informed the Bombay High Court on January 14 that it had issued demolition notices to 58 illegal constructions carried out within the low tide and high tide line in Alibaug.
On his part, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which is investigating PNB scam involving fugitive diamond trader, had filed an application in the Bombay High Court early this month, stating that Modi’s bungalow has been attached by the agency as part of its money laundering case against him. The ED had sought a stay on the Raigad district administration’s demolition order and requested the court to give the agency a hearing.
A HC bench comprising Chief Justice Naresh H Patil and Justice N M Jamdar had ordered that “if the structures are illegal then they should be demolished”.
Shamburaje Yuva Kranti, it may be recalled, had filed a PIL in the Bombay High Court in 2009, demanding action against illegal bungalows, hotels and resorts violating the high tide and low tide zones in tiny villages dotting the beaches of Raigad. The petitioner had said there were as many as 175 such private bungalows owned by businessmen in the coastal regulation zone (CRZ) areas falling in villages like Varsoli, Sasvane, Kolgaon and Dokvade in Alibaug tehsil in Raigad district.
On his part, Raigad district collector Vijay Suryawanshi had told the high court on January 14 that 58 unauthorised structures, 10 had been demolished. Civil Judge Senior Division, Alibaug, had earlier ordered to maintain “status-quo” of 42 structures, Suryavamshi had said inn an affidavit.