MUMBAI: Succumbing to the pressure from Opposition parties, the government has scrapped a land deal with a local education society associated with Union minister of state Rajeev Shukla, but has kept pending a decision on the society’s demand that it be reimbursed the amount of Rs2 crore it spent on registering and securing the land.
Last week, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had asked the state administration to take back the land allotted to the BAG Film Education Society, of which Congress minister Rajeev Shukla was the secretary and his wife Anuradha Prasad the president.
In face of strong protests by the BJP, the society had declared itself willing to surrender the land. But it had demanded compensation for the huge amount it spent on registering the land, lease rent and other similar things.
T he s uburban collector office took possession of the land on Tuesday, confirmed the chief minister’s office on Friday. The local tehasildar completed transfer formalities on the grounds that the society wanted to surrender it.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had accused the government of giving BAG Films Educational Society a 2,821 square meter plot in Andheri reserved for a municipal primary school, and another adjacent 3,534.70 sq m plot reserved for a playground on ownership and lease in 2008 for a price much less than existing market rates.
It had alleged that the society would make profits by constructing a high-profile school on the plot.
However, a senior revenue official said that the department has not taken any decision on offering the money demanded by the society.
“We have completed the official procedure of land transfer. The seniors in the government may or may not decide on the society’s demand because the law pertaining to this is not very clear,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Shukla, ex-secretary of the society, was not available for comment.
Courtesy:
17 Feb 2014
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
HT Correspondent htmetro@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
Last week, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had asked the state administration to take back the land allotted to the BAG Film Education Society, of which Congress minister Rajeev Shukla was the secretary and his wife Anuradha Prasad the president.
In face of strong protests by the BJP, the society had declared itself willing to surrender the land. But it had demanded compensation for the huge amount it spent on registering the land, lease rent and other similar things.
T he s uburban collector office took possession of the land on Tuesday, confirmed the chief minister’s office on Friday. The local tehasildar completed transfer formalities on the grounds that the society wanted to surrender it.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had accused the government of giving BAG Films Educational Society a 2,821 square meter plot in Andheri reserved for a municipal primary school, and another adjacent 3,534.70 sq m plot reserved for a playground on ownership and lease in 2008 for a price much less than existing market rates.
It had alleged that the society would make profits by constructing a high-profile school on the plot.
However, a senior revenue official said that the department has not taken any decision on offering the money demanded by the society.
“We have completed the official procedure of land transfer. The seniors in the government may or may not decide on the society’s demand because the law pertaining to this is not very clear,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Shukla, ex-secretary of the society, was not available for comment.
Courtesy:
17 Feb 2014
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
HT Correspondent htmetro@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx
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