Protest over setting up of refinery: Govt officials, privy to Barsu plans, under scrutiny for cheap land deals

It has now emerged that over 200 people, including government officials, journalists, all privy to advance information on the project, had gone to Barsu between 2019 and early 2022 and purchased land at cheap rates aware that when the government eventually acquires land for the project, they can make a killing

Mumbai: In October 2019, Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation notified that the government of Maharashtra would be acquiring 2300 acres of land in the verdant coastal area of Barsu-Solgaon in Ratnagiri. The corporation did not specify why it needed such a huge land parcel 459 kilometers away from Mumbai.

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However, little remains opaque in the bureaucratic circles, and soon after the MIDC announcement, villagers and farmers of Barsu-Solgaon noticed a flurry of out-of-town sahebs coming to buy tracts of land there. It was only in late 2021 that they learnt of the shifting of the refinery from Nanar to their region. The refinery is a ₹one hundred thousand crore joint venture between three oil Public Sector Units and the Saudi behemoth, Aramco.

It has now emerged that over 200 people, including government officials, journalists, all privy to advance information on the project, had gone to Barsu between 2019 and early 2022 and purchased land at cheap rates aware that when the government eventually acquires land for the project, they can make a killing.

These deals have now become the flashpoint for villagers to protest the setting up of the refinery. “There is no objection to officers, industrialists or politicians buying land in Barsu, but land was bought even before the villagers were told about the shifting of the refinery from Nanar to Barsu-Solgaon. These officials misled the farmers that they were buying the lands parcels for horticulture projects and agricultural purposes,” says Sanjay Parab, Janata Dal state secretary who has joined the protestors. “The land parcels were bought at throwaway prices but once the project goes through, the prices will skyrocket.”

Such is the furore in Barsu over these deals that industries minister Uday Samant set up an inquiry on Saturday. HT has information about 8 of the 224 such deals. They include:

Tripura cadre IAS officer Sandeep Rathod’s father Revaji Rathod bought 13.75 acres for ₹27.5 lakh in February 2020. This was the time when Sandeep Rathod was on deputation to Maharashtra for over two years.

In November 2020, assistant GST commissioner Poonam Ombase bought a 6.7 acre plot in Barsu for ₹12 lakh.

Deputy engineer in Maharashtra State Electricity Board’s Rajapur division Anil Kumar Dongre purchased 3.40 acres in January 2020 for ₹4.15 lakh.

The wife of Sanjay Bakalker, manager with the district central cooperative bank of Rajapur branch, purchased 2.79 acres for ₹9 lakh in February 2021.

Anil Kumar Gaikwad, joint Managing Director of Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation purchased several plots in Barsu and Solegaon admeasuring 26.70 acre for ₹50.55 lakh between May and August 2022.

Former Congress MLA Ashish Deshmukh purchased over 18 acres in Solgaon, June 2022 for ₹56.41 lakh. (The deal was done before the project announcement but registered in 2022).

Police officer Pradeep Tidar, bought 4.38 acres in Barsu for ₹17.50 lakh in September 2022 (again the deal was done soon after the MIDC announcement but the registration was done in September 2022).

Tidar’s wife Neelima bought another plot admeasuring 2.30 acres in Barsu for ₹4.20 lakh which was registered in May 2022

In addition, three journalists attached to three different Marathi channels too bought land in Barsu from Pandharinath Ambekar, the main accused in the killing of journalist Shashikant Warishe in February this year. Warishe had been writing in the local papers against the proposed refinery. The three journalists were eventually sacked once their deals became public knowledge. Minister Samant told the media that all these deals as they involved public officials are under investigation.

According to an MIDC official, these landholders could get at least five times of the ready reckoner rate of the land. “But usually it can be even more. The land acquisition act passed in 2013 mandates that the government pay the seller five times of the ready reckoner rate. However, in this project since MIDC is negotiating our rates can go higher as we ultimately recover the rate from the industries that are being set up,” he said.

Satyajeet Chavan who is spear-heading the Barsu-Solgaon Panchkroshi Refinery Virodhi Samiti told HT, “To purchase land in an area notified by MIDC needs permission from local government authorities. These officials who cut deals got permissions from the authorities. Secondly, the government has been misleading our people by saying 70% of the land required is in their possession but this includes the land that was purchased by these officials and businessman for investment purposes. There are at least 224 outsiders other such investors who purchased land soon after the MIDC’s notification and before the government’s announcement of the refinery with profit motive.”

REAX

Ashish Deshmukh who contested 2014 assembly election from Katol against his uncle Anil Deshmukh, and won on Congress ticket, said, “My land is outside the notified area. I have purchased the land as a farmer to set up a dairy as I think the proximity of the area to Goa will make the dairy business feasible.” This is Deshnukh’s first purchase in Konkan, most of his land is in Vidarbha.

IAS officer Sandeep Rathod said, “I do not know if my father has purchased any land there. He is free to purchase land anywhere in the country, but I am not aware of any such deal. As an IAS officer we declare details of our immovable assets on website of the department of personnel and training.”

Police officer Tidar said, “We have followed all the legal formalities while purchasing the land it is from the known sources of our income. No rule or law says that government official cannot purchase land. The plots were purchased after the project details were officially announced.”

MSEB official Dongre said, “I purchased the land as my retirement plan. It is outside the notified area and I have not given any consent for the acquisition.” On Saturday Anil Kumar Dongre was transferred by industries minister Samant after his land deal came to light. Dongre sai he has not received any transfer order.

Anilkumar Gaikwad, joint MD, MSRDC, did not respond to the calls and messages.