Furore over cricket academy land grab in Mumbai

The Opposition on Monday sought to corner the government over charges that a specific plot of land, earmarked for a cricket academy to be run by former cricketer Sandip Patil and former woman cricketer Diana Eduljee, had been grabbed by Ackruti Builders, which had begun construction work on the site.

Opposition leaders raised a motion that the government had promised the land to Patil and Eduljee to set up a “Cricket Cultural Academy” at Bandra. The academy would be run by a trust whose members would comprise Patil and Eduljee. But it turned out that neither was any trust set up nor the said acquired by the academy.

Instead, the Opposition said Ackruti Builders had acquired the prime land, measuring over 15,000 square meters.

Revenue minister Balasaheb Thorat said he had ordered stop work at the site.  He also said he would hear all parties and would order a probe into how Ackruti acquired the land and began work. In April 2007, Patil had stated that the government had cleared the setting up of the culture academy and the land for the academy.

He wrote to the charities commissioner that there were irregularities committed by the trustees and sought a probe by the collector. Since, there has been no communication from Patil.

In February 2004, the government had cleared a plot of land measuring over 20,000 square metres for the academy. Later, MMRDA had taken back 4,798 sq metres for widening a road and a nullah.

The remaining land was to be given to the Cricket Cultural Academy free of cost to set up a cricket academy, multipurpose sport and a coffee centre. The land was to be available for use by children.