Mumbai, Maharashtra Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday said that a special investigation team will probe alleged irregularities in the implementation of MHADA quota in Nashik, warning that those depriving the poor of their rightful homes won’t be spared.
The decision comes in the wake of alleged irregularities in the implementation of the 20 per cent MHADA quota reserved for economically weaker sections and low-income groups in Nashik.
On the directions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the SIT has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Nashik divisional commissioner, comprising senior state officials.
Bawankule, in an official statement, said, “People who choke the rights of the poor and deprive them of their entitlements, no matter how influential they are, will not be spared.”
The SIT will submit its report within one month, the revenue minister added.
According to the statement, the probe will focus on layouts exceeding 4,000 square metres, where developers allegedly failed to reserve 20 per cent of land or units for the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority to ensure affordable housing for economically weaker sections as mandated under a notification dated November 8, 2013.
The SIT will also examine recovery of such reserved land in accordance with rules, recommend disciplinary action against erring officials and employees, and propose criminal proceedings against landowners or developers found responsible for the irregularities.
It will also suggest measures to prevent such violations in future.
Several builders in Nashik allegedly defrauded the government of crores of rupees by using forged documents, fake seals and signatures under the MHADA housing scheme.
According to norms, developers undertaking housing projects on plots exceeding 4,000 square metres are required to reserve 20 per cent of units for MHADA.
Developers allegedly under-reported project areas to bypass the rule and misled authorities using fabricated documents and forged authorisations.
Verification by the Land Records Department covered 128 cases, of which 49 revealed instances of fraud. A case has been registered at Sarkarwada police station based on a complaint by the department, it was stated.
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