CID to probe Navi Mumbai land ‘scam’ involving IAS officers

The state urban development department has announced a CID probe into an alleged land-grab in Navi Mumbai by top government officials.

Admitting that the society in question has accommodated more than 20 IAS officers as members, the government said appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty.

Members from both the treasury and the opposition benches raised the issue of the 2,967sqm plot and alleged that top City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) officials grabbed it at a cheaper rate.

MLAs claimed that the plot, registered in the name of Venus Cooperative Housing Society, was grabbed by bureaucrats for Rs4.43 crore against its market value of over Rs20 crore. It was also alleged that the officials kept the plot out of the purview of the DK Sankaran committee, investigating irregularities in plot allotments in Navi Mumbai.

Bhaskar Jadhav, minister of state for urban development, said the plot was allotted a few days before the Sankaran committee was appointed and hence it was kept out of its purview. “Though most of the total 32 members of the proposed society are government officials, no Cidco official is found in the list. However, Cidco has been asked to investigate the entire case thoroughly,” he said.

He read out the names of government officials on the list, including retired IAS officers Ramanand Tiwari, Satish Tripathi and serving IAS officer Kshatrapati Shivaji.

Dissatisfied with the reply given by the minister, MLAs pressed for a CID inquiry. Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai said the inquiry should not be conducted by any agency lower than the level of the CID as top government officials are involved in the deal.

When MLAs turned down the minister’s announcement of an investigation by a principal secretary, Jadhav had to admit a probe by the CID.