Find the masterminds behind the KDMC illegal buildings scam: Shinde

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde orders action against 65 illegal buildings in KDMC, urging EOW investigation and prioritizing basic services for newly included villages.

MUMBAI: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde on Friday ordered the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to file a case with the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) regarding the 65 illegal buildings in its jurisdiction that the Bombay high Court ordered to be demolished recently. He also asked the urban development department and KDMC to check how relief could be given within the legal framework to the affected homeowners.

Find the masterminds behind the KDMC illegal buildings scam: Shinde

The subject came up at a meeting held by Shinde at the government’s Sahyadri Guesthouse. Officials told the deputy CM that the masterminds behind the illegal buildings had arranged for front men and presented them as builders so that their own names would not come on record. “Find the real culprits behind this scam,” Shinde told the officials. “Register a case with the EOW so that the money trail can be investigated and we can find out who actually benefited from selling the flats in the illegal buildings.”

When contacted, KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goyal said that the civic body had issued notices to all the illegal buildings and asked residents to vacate.

With an eye on the NMMC elections, which will be held within the next four months, Shinde also brought up the demands of the residents of 14 villages that were included in the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) limits last year. He ordered officials to immediately start work on water supply, roads, sewage, health facilities, schools and various other demands of the villagers.