MUMBAI, Nov. 4 -- Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad on Monday demanded a high-level inquiry into what she alleges is the "biggest PAP scam in the history of Mumbai". Gaikwad claims to have uncovered a scam worth Rs.5,000 crore on a plot measuring 8.71 lakh square feet near the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) in Malad east. She alleges that the plot, classified as a 'No Development Zone' (NDZ), has been turned into a goldmine for a builder with close ties to the ruling BJP, by changing its reservation. It was reclassified as "police housing" and later included a project for project-affected persons (PAPs). Gaikwad named DB Realty, now Valor Estate Pvt Ltd, as benefitting from the alleged scam. However, the developer has denied receiving undue benefits and said it was not a private commercial project but one that involves police housing and the rehabilitation of PAPs. The plot, reserved as a "no development zone" (NDZ), was reclassified by the state government as a "residential" zone in 2023, after which it was reserved for "police housing". "The police-housing reservation was merely a pretext to benefit the builder. On June 20, 2023, DB Realty participated in a BMC tender for a PAP project and proposed to construct 13,347 PAP units of 300 sq ft each on the plot under the "Accommodation Reservation Policy". In return, it would get land TDR, construction TDR and credit notes, which it could sell in the real-estate market for huge profits," she revealed. According to rules, when a reserved plot is used for a project under the Accommodation Reservation Policy, the portion reserved for that purpose must be built and transferred to the civic body before any PAP development on the remaining area, Gaikwad revealed. "But the rules were changed for the "favoured builder". On August 17, 2023, the state urban development department approved "simultaneous development" on the plot, she further alleged. Shahid Balwa, managing director, DB Realty, told HT that the land parcel was owned by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. "This is a competitively tendered, public-purpose housing assignment for police and project affected persons, and not a private commercial development. Valor Estate Limited categorically denies that it has received any undue or irregular favour in relation to this project," Balwa said....