Prithviraj Chavan takes on the real estate nexus

By recommending to the governor the suspension of information commissioner Ramanand Tiwari, a former bureaucrat who is accused of misusing his powers to benefit the Adarsh Housing Society in which his son has a flat, Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan appears to be taking his comments about the politician-builder-bureaucrat nexus seriously.

If indeed Chavan is serious about taking on this nexus, he will be doing a favour to Maharashtra.

Ever since the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party of the mid-90s decided on the slum rehabilitation scheme in partnership with builders, the disastrous effect has been felt, not just by those affected by real estate in Mumbai city and parts of the state, but by those looking for governance in other sectors as well.

If Chavan adds the police to his list of those involved then he will truly have stumbled on the stranglehold which has been holding Maharashtra back since then.

What started in the mid-90s has been continued by successive Democratic Front governments and if Ashok Chavan lost his job as chief minister after the Adarsh Housing Society scam broke at the end of 2010, he was in a sense paying the price for following what his predecessors had been doing.

Tiwari’s refusal to step down despite indications from the state government demonstrates the arrogance of the Maharashtra civil servants — and the power they wield. It is said that the bureaucrats felt that Ashok Chavan’s sacking would take the heat off them. Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the state, the very opposite appears to have happened.

The chief minister has also brought up the idea of a regulatory body for real estate, which will have quasi-judicial powers. Urban development and housing were both key issues for UPA-II when it came to power in 2009.

Both are urgently required and in a city like Mumbai where real estate prices keep the lower and middle classes out of housing and force the working classes into slums, any effective move will provide immediate relief.

But Prithviraj Chavan’s task is far graver when he takes on that nexus which he has discussed earlier this week. It is here where the rot has been allowed to set in and where the lure of money has led many to abandon their oaths and principles in order to grab a slice of the property pie.

As a result of this deflection of interest, Maharashtra now struggles where it once thrived. The state can only hope that the CM means what he says.