Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Rohit Pawar on Tuesday questioned the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) over its approval for the transfer of a 1,378 square-metre plot in south Mumbai to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for constructing its Maharashtra headquarters. Seeking clarification from the civic body, Pawar pointed out that the Supreme Court has directed that such government or semi-government land must be auctioned in a transparent and competitive process.
Union home minister Amit Shah laid the foundation stone for the new Maharashtra BJP office on a plot near Churchgate railway station on Monday. Pawar had then criticised the BJP, alleging that the Maharashtra Housing Finance Corporation building that earlier stood on the plot was declared unsafe to facilitate the land takeover and was subsequently demolished.
In a post on X on Tuesday, Pawar claimed the BMC overlooked multiple irregularities because the land was being used for the BJP’s office. The NCP (SP) MLA also met municipal commissioner Bhushan Gagrani and submitted a letter raising multiple questions about the transaction. He sought clarification from the civic body on the speedy approvals given to the project and the alleged bypassing of the auction process.
“As the land was a Schedule W property governed by the BMC, how was the transaction permitted? For land belonging to a government or semi-government body, the Supreme Court has ordered that it must be allotted only through an auction or a competitive bidding process. Why was this procedure not followed in this land deal?” Pawar asked in his letter.
He also questioned how the BMC allowed the property—allegedly mortgaged to banks by a private company named Eknath Realtors—to be transferred to the BJP within a month, without the developer utilising the land himself.
“Who gave the Maharashtra State Housing Corporation the right to transfer its plot to a builder? Did the government give permission? Therefore, is the transfer of property valid and legal?” the letter said.
The NCP (SP) legislator also expressed concern that unchecked transfers of Schedule W land could set a precedent for the sale of other valuable public properties in Mumbai, such as the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, to private entities. He urged the BMC to treat the matter seriously and issue a clarification. In his X post, Pawar said that Gagrani assured them that the civic body would provide a written clarification on the matter soon.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Monday refuted the allegations of irregularities, saying that the BJP purchased private land near Churchgate as per the rules and by taking all required permissions.