Congress’ Sachin Sawant questions Devendra Fadnavis
@the_news_21
Mumbai: Did the previous Devendra Fadnavis led government accepted the proposal given by developer Shapoorji Pallonji on June 11, 2019, for building one lakh affordable houses under the PM Modi’s ‘Housing for All by 2022’ scheme on the land allotted for Metro Car Shed at Kanjurmarg. He had also appointed a five-membered committee under Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) for this, remarked Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) General Secretary and spokesperson Sachin Sawant.
Sawant while addressing media on Tuesday alleged that even as the role of another developer Garodia was still questionable. “Garodia’s contract with Shapoorji Pallonji was cancelled by the Bombay High Court (HC) in 2016. Without even thinking about the connection between Shapoorji Pallonji and the said land, how did the Fadnavis government accept the proposal given by Shapoorji Pallonji and form a committee of high ranking officials?” Sawant raised questions.
“What business interests were at stake for which the then BJP government showed so much concern for Garodia? Was the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) working as an agent for builders?” asked Sachin Sawant.
Sawant further remarked that at a time when Fadnavis is giving unsolicited advice to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government to not insist on having the Metro-3 car shed in Kanjurmarg, why doesn’t he give his opinion on where to take the Metro-6 car depot which was decided by his government itself at Kanjurmarg.
In this regard, Sawant said that former Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil had ruled that the land of Arthur & Jenkins Salt land at Bhandup-Kanjurmarg East was owned by the state government. But there is a dispute in the court over the lease agreement between the Central Governments Salt Department and a builder named Garodia.
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Sawant claimed that the land was given to Nanbhay Bhiwandiwala by the Salt Department in 1917 on a 99-year contract, which was signed on 16 February 1922. “The department thought that Garodia had nothing to do with the tenant. Also, on November 2, 2004, the Central Salt Department cancelled the lease on the ground that salt was not produced on the land,” claimed Sawant.
He further added, “The order was challenged in court by Garodia, Court stayed the cancellation of the lease. However, in 2009, Garodia signed an agreement with Shapoorji Pallonji Company for development of this land in which Garodia was to get about Rs 500 crore in return from them.”
“The agreement between Shapoorji Pallonji and Garodia was cancelled by the Mumbai Municipal and Civil Court on April 16, 2016. Also, the 99-year lease expired in 2016. Also, Chandrakant Patil as a revenue minister had ruled that the land belongs to the state government,” Sawant said.
According to Sawant, the department had brought all these facts to the notice of the government. “Despite this, why did the Fadnavis government accept the offer of constructing one lakh houses from Shapoorji Pallonji Company on June 11, 2019, when it had nothing to do with the land. Also, why is the BJP speaking on behalf of Garodia whose lease has already been cancelled and expired in 2016? Did the BJP have any commercial interest with him,” said Sawant.
Sawant claimed Fadnavis had agreed to a housing project on the salt pan land of Kanjurmarg. But how is it that the same land was denied for a metro car shed? And it is for the same commercial interest that the opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis is urging the MVA government to give up its demand to build the Metro-3 car shed at Kanjurmarg.
Also, the car depot of Metro-6 was fixed by the Fadnavis government at the same place in Kanjurmarg. It is mentioned in the DPR of Metro 6 project. The work of the Metro 6 had started from 2017-18, he said.
He said, MMRDA despite knowing that the land belongs to the state government demanded the same land from the salt department and even gave undertaking of paying for the land. If MMRDA wanted to pay for the same land, Metro 3 line would have got land free of cost. However, the DPR of Metro 6 has not been changed by the Fadnavis government or the process of finding another suitable place was not done. This means that the Kanjurmarg land was alright for the Metro-6 project, but not for the Metro-3 project. The land was okay for construction of housing projects but not for the metro-3 car shed.
Sawant said the answer to these contradictions by the BJP was linked to the economic interests of the party. Sawant said that the court has allowed the work for metro projects despite the dispute over the land for Charkop Depot of Metro 2 Pune Metro. Fadnavis should take note of that before speaking, said Sawant.
