Mumbai: Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday said he had not approved Lokhandwala Infrastructure’s controversial proposal to redevelop a 17-acre slum plot off E Moses Road in Worli.
“There is no question of my sanctioning it,” Chavan told TOI, responding to a report in this newspaper, which said “the decision to issue the Letter of Intent (LOI) by the SRA was taken at the highest political level”. Chavan admitted that he knew that the letter was issued by the authority’s CEO last month. “The LOI was issued to the civic body, and not the developer,’’ Chavan said. “I will ask my officers to find out who applied for the LOI, the civic body or the builder.”
Locals claim that a huge chunk of Jijamata Nagar comprises chawls, and not slums, as claimed by the builder and SRA. D B Realty is also reportedly involved in the project.
On Tuesday, TOI reported that this project was among those stayed by Chavan two years ago when it came to light that select builders were awarded prime slum lands to redevelop under a controversial clause (3K) of the Slum Act. The project will rake in a profit of Rs 8,000 crore for the builder. A NCP leader is reportedly pushing for the project.
The BMC, which owns the land, had earlier urged Chavan to scrap the project and invite bids. “I have asked BMC to propose how it intends to go ahead with it,” he said. Sources said the LOI was full of contradictions. “If the BMC owns the land, why should the SRA ask it to give an NOC for the project,” said a source, adding if Lokhandwala Infrastructure is only implementing the project, as the LOI claims, how was it appointed without inviting bids.
Metro buffer zone: BMC orders probe
A day after lawyer YP Singh alleged that the BMC had turned ablind eye to the construction of two malls in a buffer zone meant to reduce the noise from the Metro railway, the civic building proposal department was asked to conduct a probe and check if permission was given for the buildings. TNN
Courtesy:
Nauzer K Bharucha TNN
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/01/31&PageLabel=8&EntityId=Ar00804&ViewMode=HTML
“There is no question of my sanctioning it,” Chavan told TOI, responding to a report in this newspaper, which said “the decision to issue the Letter of Intent (LOI) by the SRA was taken at the highest political level”. Chavan admitted that he knew that the letter was issued by the authority’s CEO last month. “The LOI was issued to the civic body, and not the developer,’’ Chavan said. “I will ask my officers to find out who applied for the LOI, the civic body or the builder.”
Locals claim that a huge chunk of Jijamata Nagar comprises chawls, and not slums, as claimed by the builder and SRA. D B Realty is also reportedly involved in the project.
On Tuesday, TOI reported that this project was among those stayed by Chavan two years ago when it came to light that select builders were awarded prime slum lands to redevelop under a controversial clause (3K) of the Slum Act. The project will rake in a profit of Rs 8,000 crore for the builder. A NCP leader is reportedly pushing for the project.
The BMC, which owns the land, had earlier urged Chavan to scrap the project and invite bids. “I have asked BMC to propose how it intends to go ahead with it,” he said. Sources said the LOI was full of contradictions. “If the BMC owns the land, why should the SRA ask it to give an NOC for the project,” said a source, adding if Lokhandwala Infrastructure is only implementing the project, as the LOI claims, how was it appointed without inviting bids.
Metro buffer zone: BMC orders probe
A day after lawyer YP Singh alleged that the BMC had turned ablind eye to the construction of two malls in a buffer zone meant to reduce the noise from the Metro railway, the civic building proposal department was asked to conduct a probe and check if permission was given for the buildings. TNN
Courtesy:
Nauzer K Bharucha TNN
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/01/31&PageLabel=8&EntityId=Ar00804&ViewMode=HTML
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