Revenue minister Khadse claims that man who raised allegations against him is tainted
Hemant Gawande, the Pune-based builder who alleged revenue minister Eknath Khadse had purchased MIDC land, had himself allegedly purchased land worth Rs 400 crore at a prime location in Pune with forged records, documents have revealed. Mr Gawande allegedly made changes in records of land originally owned by peshwas at Shivaji Nagar that were transferred to the state after independence.
According to a senior revenue department official, a police complaint was filed against Gawande’s firm, Vision Properties, for grabbing government land in Pune. Mr Khadse confirmed these allegations.
The official said Madhavrao Peshwa had gifted a land parcel to the Bhat family as inam (reward) in 1775 on the condition that they would receive income on it from the British Raj till the last heir of the family was alive. “Meanwhile, the Bhat family mortgaged the property (Survey No. 62 and 62/1 of Bopodi division) to Bhuvikas Bank, and, as it had failed to repay the amount, the bank decided to auction it in 1883. The secretary for state purchased the land for Rs 11,000 on December 8 1883 and registered (Document no 207/A) it at the office of the sub-registrar,” the official said.
As the Bhats had built a construction on the land, the British government decided to pay compensation of Rs 122 per year as long as the inam existed. Hence, the family received Rs 122 from 1883 till 1953 and it was recorded on the 7/12 extract with the name of state government as well as the family, the officer said. “Maharashtra passed the Inam Nirmulan (eradication of reward lands) Act on August 1 1953 and hence the right of Bhat family to the reward ended,” Mr Khadse said.
During the British Raj, an agricultural college was constructed on the plot, which is extant. The college had asked the sub-registrar to remove the Bhat family’s name from 7/12 extract, saying it had stopped the yearly compensation to the family. “The family had never objected against the stopping of compensation,” said Mr Khadse.
Mr Khadse alleged that when the Development Plan for Pune city was approved in 1987 and policy of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) was introduced there, intending to misuse of the policy, late Yashadabai Narayan Vidhwans, an heir of the Bhat family, approached Gawande and made an agreement with him on February 2 2009 and April 26 2010 to get TDR on the land.
Mr Khadse claimed that Gawande managed to record Ms Vidhwans’ name on the 7/12 extract and purchased TDR rights worth Rs 7 crore. “He bribed the tehsildar and circle officer and prepared two different 7/12 extracts admeasured 2,02,000 and 3,48,000 square feet. “When this came to light, the agricultural college filed an appeal with the revenue department against Gawande, which was later heard by additional collector of the Pune civil court. At every stage it was proven that the land was owned by the state and Gawande or Ms Vidhwans had no right over it,” Mr Khadse said.
“The issue was also raised in Assembly by then Opposition party legislator Devendra Fadnavis on June 9 2014 and he named the accused in the scam including Gawande,” said Mr Khadse.
The additional registrar of the agricultural college filed a complaint against these accused at Shivajinagar police station on February 1 last year and the police is probing the case. “According to the high court’s order, additional collector Pradip Patil heard the dispute and rejected Gawande’s claim over the land on March 11 2016,” the officer said. Mr Gawande has not responded to repeated calls.
