Mumbai, May 27: Two former Congress chief ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde sanctioned 67 prime plots in Mumbai to politicians and trusts while in power, The Sunday Indian Express reported today.
The 67 plots spread over 20 hectares were allotted by a state government sub-committee comprising Congress and NCP ministers and some of the allotments were in violation of rules, the report said.
Of the 67 plots, 52 were sanctioned when Vilasrao Deshmukh was the CM while 15 plots were sanctioned when Sushilkumar Shinde was the chief minister.
The Bombay High Court had stopped the preferential allotment of land meant for public housing and amenities in April, 2004, when Shinde was the chief minister.
The Express report says, after more than 20 hectares were sold at throwaway prices between 1999 and 2003, only a mere two hectares of land was left with MHADA (Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority) in Mumbai.
The MHADA inquiry was ordered in March this year after opposition parties raised the issue. The probe found that land allotments were made under the Land Disposal Rules of MHADA Act.
The rules, the report said, were amended to allow the state government to take over the power to disburse MHADA plots meant for public housing or amenities such as schools and hospitals to charitable trusts.
Many of the 67 plots were allotted to educational institutions controlled by Congress or NCP ministers.
These included Rahebar Foundation, whose trustees are NCP MLA Nawab Malik's wife and sister, Raigad Military School belonging to Congress MLA Madhukar Chavan, Kasegaon education Society belonging to minister Jayant Patil, the report said.
Ironically, Malik and Patil were members of the sub-committee that alloted the plots, while Chavan was the then MHADA chairman.
