Following yet another controversy over allegedly illicit private acquisition of prime land under the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has transferred the head of the Mumbai Economic Offences Wing (EOW) Dhananjay Kamalkar after the latter came under fire for a shady land deal in Pune.
Mr. Kamalkar, a 1992-batch IPS officer, came under the scanner after his son, Rohit (23), along with four others, were accused by the MIDC of fraudulently usurping a 76,400-sq. m. land valued at a whopping Rs. 205 crore at Rajnandgaon MIDC in Karegaon village in Pune district. Mr. Kamalkar has been shunted to the Coastal Security department where he has been appointed as Inspector General.
According to the MIDC complaint of June 4, Rohit, along with four others purchased the plot of land at paltry rates by executing “bogus sale deeds” in 2015. The sale deeds, executed on April 17 and May 5 last year, show that the purchasers had declared Rs. 58 lakh as price for the prime plot, which translates into an incredible Rs. 73 per sq. m. The sale deeds further show that the bulk of the land was purchased by Rohit Kamalkar.
While Rohit Kamalkar and his co-buyers allege that they have legally purchased the land, the MIDC categorically said that it had bought the land from the original owners way back in the 1990s.
According to MIDC authorities, the industrial body had paid compensation to the owners totalling Rs 1.85 lakh at Rs 19,000 per hectare back in 1992.
“The land was transferred to the MIDC in February 1993. On July 1, 1996, the property’s revenue records were altered to state that the land was acquired by the MIDC,” said MIDC officials.
In response, Bhujangrao Ogale, one of the co-buyers along with Rohit Kamalkar, have filed a complaint with the Pune Rural Police against four government officials, including the Tehsildar of Shirur Taluk and the MIDC regional officer, alleging that the revenue officials had tampered with the land records.
“It is the MIDC that has not paid compensation to the original owners. They cannot claim ownership. Hence, we have moved the Shirur magistrate court contesting the MIDC’s claim,” said Mr. Ogale.
Following the court’s orders, the Pune Rural police have lodged an FIR against the four government officials.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai has ordered a thorough probe into the matter.
Further, Mr. Desai has stood by the MIDC contention that it was indeed the industrial body which had purchased the land after paying due compensation.
“The papers clearly show the land to be under the MIDC. This appears to be a big scam. I have ordered an investigation into just how MIDC land was allowed to be sold in this fashion,” Mr. Desai said.
This is the second high-profile case in days of a purported land grab in the MIDC area to come to light, with former Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recently being asked to resign over accusations of illicitly purchasing a three-acre plot in Bhosari MIDC at a throwaway price for his private use.
