CAG report says the state government suffered huge financial losses due to irregularities in allotting land to politicians.
The revenue receipts portion of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report says the state government suffered huge financial losses due to irregularities in allotting land to politicians and institutions under their patronage. The irregularities include violations by government authorities while granting redevelopment rights.
The CAG report says land measuring 91,300sqmt in Nashik initially reserved for the Public Works Department was allotted to the Mumbai Education Trust (MET) headed by Chhagan Bhujbal’s nephew, Sameer. The report says the land was allotted in two slots in 2003 and 2009 at the occupancy price of Rs1.55 lakh and Rs7.53 lakh respectively.
The finance department of the state government objected to the deal in 2008 and said land should not be given at a concessional rate as MET had already been given 1.53sqmt of land years ago. The department wanted the market rate of Rs9.31 crore to be applied in case the deal went through. However, the land was allotted for just Rs9.08 lakh. The June 2011 punchnama report by local revenue authorities found that the land was unutilised.
Similarly, land measuring 1,500sqmt and 169.5sqmt at Ambivali, Andheri, was given to the Sindhudurg Shikshan Prasarak Mandal at an annual lease rent of Rs9,851 and Rs869 for 30 years.
The CAG report states the value of the land was Rs6.68 crore in 2010.
The mandal enjoys the patronage of revenue minister Narayan Rane. At Sindhudurg Bhavan, run by the mandal, a banquet hall is given on rent for Rs2 lakh a day. Liquor is served in the hall along with vegetarian and non-vegetarian food while a DJ enjoys console equipment. Though Rane claims the land was allotted at a concessional rate as per the government policy for educational institutions, he did not answer questions raised in the report.
The Manjara Charitable Trust which enjoys the patronage of former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh was allotted land measuring 23,840sqmt at Malvani, Borivli, in 2006 for a dental college. The report says the land was not utilised for four years.
The trust in 2010 applied for a change in the purpose - from dental college to educational purposes. However, since there was no clarity in the agreement on the time period for using the land, the collector could not resume the land after four years. The report says the trust retained the land by paying just Rs6.56 crore against its market price of Rs30.56 crore. It was allotted land by setting aside three other applications and no reason was given for rejecting them.
Similarly, the CAG report says 1,800sqmt of land in Ambivali, Andheri, was allotted to Arpan Foundation by changing the reservation. The plot was given at Rs0.90 lakh against the market value of Rs6.53 crore to start a school. The report has questioned the change in reservation.
A land measuring 19,200sqmt in Lohgaon, Pune, allotted to Bharati Vidyapeeth headed by forest minister Patangrao Kadam was not developed six years since its allotment and it led to a revenue loss of Rs4.8 crore to the government.
The report also slams the city collector for failing to recover provisional rent of Rs3.75 crore from Ashok Piramal and his two brothers for the land in Worli given on lease for 30 years. The report also mentions the incorrect waiver of license fee to Khar Gymkhana that rents the ground for weddings.
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