Mumbai, April 13 (IANS) The Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday announced the setting up of a Special Investigation Team to probe alleged irregularities in the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority reservation quota in Nashik, warning that those depriving the poor of their rightful housing benefits will not be spared, irrespective of their stature.​

“People who choke the rights of the poor and deprive them of their entitlements, no matter how influential they are, will not be spared,” Minister Bawankule said, adding that the Special Investigation Team comprising senior officials will submit its report within one month.​

The decision follows alleged irregularities in the implementation of the 20 per cent quota reserved for economically weaker sections and low-income groups by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority in Nashik. ​

Acting on the directions of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the Special Investigation Team has been constituted under the chairmanship of the Nashik Divisional Commissioner, with participation of senior state officials.​

The issue was raised during the state legislature’s budget session through calling attention motions by Members of Legislative Assembly Devyani Pharande and Nitin Pawar, along with concerns expressed by several other members. Taking note of these, the minister had assured a detailed probe into the matter.​

The Special Investigation Team comprises the Nashik Divisional Commissioner, Settlement Commissioner (Pune), Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamps (Pune), Nashik Police Commissioner, and Director of Town Planning (Pune), with the Deputy Director of Land Records, Nashik Division, serving as member secretary. The committee has been directed to submit its report to the government within a month, the release said.​

The probe will focus on layouts exceeding 4,000 square metres where developers allegedly failed to provide 20 per cent of the land or housing units to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority, as mandated under a November 8, 2013, notification. ​

It 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.​

The committee will also suggest measures to prevent the recurrence of such violations in future. A major scam has come to light in Nashik wherein several builders allegedly defrauded the government of crores of rupees by using forged documents, fake seals, and signatures under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority housing scheme.​

As per norms, developers undertaking housing projects on plots exceeding 4,000 square metres are required to reserve 20 per cent of units for Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority to ensure affordable housing for weaker sections. However, 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, following which a case has been registered at Sarkarwada police station based on a complaint by the department, said the release.​

–IANS

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