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DEO readies action against 15 illegally sold bungalows
According to defence sources, a meeting between the Pune police commissioner and senior officials of the Defence and Defence Estates is also on the cards as more cases of illegal bungalow sales are coming to the light
The Defence Estates Office (DEO), Pune has prepared a list of at least fifteen old grant bungalow properties which have been illegally sold to influential, rich individuals, real estate developers and corporate company owners with powerful connections within the government. An IDES officer said that a probe into the unauthorised and fraudulent sale of bungalow properties has opened up Pandora’s box where corruption, nepotism and favouritism have emerged as a major cause of concern before the authorities.
According to defence sources, a meeting between the Pune police commissioner and senior officials of the Defence and Defence Estates is also on the cards as more cases of illegal bungalow sales are coming to the light. Meanwhile, activists in Pune cantonment have demanded a central agency probe into the fraudulent bungalow sale and their sealing of the bungalows by the DEO office.
The DEO of Pune circle on Friday sealed an old grant bungalow spread on 0.69 acres of prime defence land worth about ₹50 crore on Napier Road as the Holder of Occupancy Rights (HORs) did not take mandatory permission from the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to mutate the property and sold it to a prominent Wanawadi-based real estate developer and his wife.
DEO officials said that the fraudulent sale of defence bungalows has brought to light the builder-broker nexus, which was usurping national defence land with impunity without any fear of law and legal action against them.
The Pune Cantonment (PCB) has more than 300 OGBs and the Khadki Cantonment board has 60 sprawling bungalow properties in prime locations with an approximate collective cost of ₹10,000 crore in the market. The DEO Office on January 12 had sealed two prime bungalows located on defence properties, both of which are estimated to cost around ₹200 crore.
The first property that was sealed is an Old Grant Bungalow (OGB) number 15 located in GLR Survey No. 501 on Stavely Road, while the second bungalow No. 22 on Napier Road in Pune Cantonment. The Directorate has been on a mission mode in taking strict action against the unauthorised sale of defence bungalow properties, and a detailed probe has been ordered to resume and reclaim these properties lost to land sharks.
On January 10, the DEO office also sealed a two-acre bungalow property located adjacent to the IDES Officers Enclave and Directorate on Cross Road.
Social worker Rajabhau Chavan when contacted said “There is a well-oiled nexus which has been operational for decades in siphoning off prime old grant bungalow properties and we demand a detailed probe into the cases which are coming to light. We need these national assets for the country and the army and there should not be any sale of these properties,” he said.
