Maharashtra CM wants MHADA engineer who submitted fake report to be suspended

The fake MHADA report had stated that 85 % of the redevelopment work had been completed and that everything had fallen into place

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis cracked the whip on Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) on Wednesday, ordering that an executive engineer be suspended for submitting a misleading report on the redevelopment of Siddharth Nagar at Goregaon.

Fadnavis also directed MHADA to lodge a criminal offence against the builders who are undertaking projects at the site. (HT File)

He also directed MHADA to lodge a criminal offence against the builders who are undertaking projects at the site.

The MHADA report had stated that 85 % of the work had been completed and that everything had fallen into place.

In the meeting held to review the progress of the revamp, Fadnavis was visibly angered after residents complained that the pace of the work was slow and that the report was outright wrong. “The residents are being taken for a ride. MHADA officials are misleading us,” said Fadnavis. Following his outburst, MHADA suspended D K Mahajan, executive engineer, Goregaon division.

The redevelopment of Patrawala Chawl in Siddharth Nagar, spread across 40 acres, has been mired in controversy since the beginning. In 2007, MHADA allowed Guru Ashish to redevelop and rehabilitate 675 chawl tenants. However MHADA received complaints that he had sold the project to HDIL. Guru Ashish denied these claims

Prasad Lad, the then chairman of MHADA’s repair and reconstruction board revealed that an internal inquiry concluded that the authority had suffered a loss of approximately Rs1,000 crore, owing to the project.