State allots 6,320-sq m salt pan land to Savarkar trust near Wadala
Maharashtra allocates 6,320 sq m of salt pan land near Wadala to Veer Savarkar Charitable Trust for education, bypassing usual criteria amid objections.
Mumbai: Just when Mumbai’s salt pan lands are in focus due to the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, the Maharashtra government has allotted 6,320 square metres of salt pan land near Wadala to the Veer Savarkar Charitable Trust for educational purposes. According to government estimates, the cost of the plot is more than ₹74.54 crore.
The state has allotted the land as a special case as the trust does not fulfill the criteria determined by the state revenue department for direct allotment of land. The decision was taken by the state in its Cabinet meeting on Friday. It was taken despite objections from the state revenue and finance departments. Both departments had suggested that the government follow its existing policy for direct allotment of land.
According to the existing policy, the government must publish an advertisement when allotting a plot, among other procedures. “A plot can be allotted directly to a renowned organisation or an individual only if he is considered as prominent in the profession,” states a Government Resolution from the state revenue department issued on July 25, 2019.
Raising its objection to the allotment, the revenue department’s proposal, submitted before the Cabinet, clearly states, “The Veer Savarkar Charitable Trust plans to open a school for primary students from weak and deprived sections. However, they do not have any experience or any special work done in the field. They have not submitted a detailed plan. Accordingly, it does not fulfill the criteria for direct allotment as the government resolution issued on July 25, 2019.”
It is unclear whether the government plans to charge the trust anything at all as the proposal discussed in the state Cabinet states that the land should be given free. According to the existing policy, a charitable trust and education trust is expected to pay 25 per cent of the total cost of the allotted land, as per the rates on February 1, 1976.
Only days earlier, in another controversial decision, the state Cabinet allotted 5.04 hectares of land near Nagpur to the Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Sansthan. The trust is headed by Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the Bharatiya Janata Party state unit chief.