Shirsat cleared Rs.5K-cr land deal rejected by CIDCO: Rohit Pawar
MUMBAI, Aug. 19 -- Shiv Sena leader and state social justice minister Sanjay Shirsat may face more trouble as NCP (SP) leader Rohit Pawar on Monday made serious allegations against him regarding irregularities in a major land deal.
Under Shirsat's chairmanship during the previous Shinde-led Mahayuti government, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) had allegedly handed over a 15-acre prime land plot in Navi Mumbai, worth Rs.5,000 crore, to the Biwalkar family, claimed Pawar, while demanding Shirsat's resignation from the ministerial position.
The land in question was part of the 5,000 acres across 15 villages that was awarded to the Biwalker family by the British for aiding them against the Maratha empire, said Pawar. Claiming the land was a personal gift, the family avoided the Bombay Personal Inams Abolition Act of 1952, said Pawar while speaking at a press conference held at the party headquarters. "Before the land ceiling laws of 1961 came into effect, they reclassified the lands as reserved forests. With the enactment of the Maharashtra Private Forest (Acquisition) Act in 1975, all the land was taken over by the state."
The Biwalkar family objected to the acquisition in 1985, which was rejected by the Collector in 1989. The matter then went to the high court in 1990, Pawar said. In October 2014, the Bombay High Court ruled in favour of the Biwalkar family. The government then appealed against the order in the Supreme Court and got it stayed.
The family then applied under a scheme for CIDCO's Project Affected Persons (PAPs) to reap the benefits of 12.5% of the land, said Pawar.
CIDCO previously rejected the proposal in 1994, 1995, 2010, and 2023, he said. "In his very first meeting as CIDCO chairman, Sanjay Shirsat approved the allocation of 15 acres of land to the Biwalkar family. This was in contrast with previous decisions of CIDCO that rejected the proposal several times in the past." Pawar added that CIDCO could have used this land, valued at approximately Rs.5,000 crore, to construct nearly 10,000 affordable homes for the poor.
When contacted, Shirsat termed the allegations as "unfounded and baseless".
"Instead of making baseless allegations, he should first take a complete detail of the case and then make allegations," Shirsat told Hindustan Times.
When asked if he cleared a proposal of the Biwalkar family, Shirsat admitted positively. "The board has to make a decision considering the legality of the proposal. However, the allotment letter and agreement are yet to be made in this case."
Shirsat has been mired in controversies for the past few months. A video of him sitting in his bedroom with a bag of cash went viral on social media platforms in July. The income tax department sent him a notice demanding explanation for the sharp rise in his property between 2019 and 2024....
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