Metro-3 car shed: Centre lost ownership claim of Kanjurmarg plot before various revenue tribunals

Officials from the state revenue department said the Centre had lost ownership of the plot for the proposed Metro car shed at Kanjurmarg before several tribunals

Officials from the state revenue department said the Centre had lost ownership of the plot for the proposed Metro car shed at Kanjurmarg before several tribunals set up under the revenue department.

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The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central government and the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra have been at loggerheads over the plot since chief minister Uddhav Thackeray announced the car shed would be shifted out of Aarey Milk Colony to Kanjurmarg.

Since Thackeray announced the decision to construct a common car shed for Metro-3 (Colaba-Bandra-Seepz) and Metro-6 (Swami Samarth Nagar-Vikhroli) on October 12, BJP has criticised the move and pointed out that this change will increase the cost of the project.

In a recent development, the department for promotion of industry and internal trade (DPIIT) has said the Centre has a claim on the Kanjurmarg land parcel and the state should not have transferred the land to Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which is the nodal authority for the Metro.

However, state officials say there is no ambiguity regarding the ownership of the Kanjurmarg plot.

According to the state revenue department, the final decision on this issue was passed in 2018 by the then revenue minister and current BJP state president for Maharashtra, Chandrakant Patil.

A senior revenue officer, requesting anonymity, said, “Their [the Centre’s] claim of ownership of 1,464 acres at Kanjurmarg was rejected by different tribunals of the revenue department, such as tehsildar, sub-divisional officer, additional collector and additional divisional commissioner. Later, the Centre filed an appeal before the revenue minister [Chandrakant Patil], who has quasi-judicial powers. After hearing both sides, Patil on November 1, 2018, had rejected the Centre’s claim and ordered that the plot is owned by the state government.”

Patil didn’t respond to HT’s calls and messages.

According to the letter sent to the Maharashtra chief secretary by DPIIT, which is a Central government department under the ministry of commerce and industry, the state’s decision to transfer the Kanjurmarg plot to MMRDA was “improper and unilateral”. DPIIT has said the question of the land parcel’s ownership is sub judice as the Centre had filed a writ petition in Bombay high court (HC) against the then state revenue minister’s order.

Nitin Kareer, additional chief secretary, revenue department, said HC has not issued any stay on the Kanjurmarg land parcel.

“The Centre has lost the case before all the courts as they have confirmed the ownership of the state government in their judgments. The same was mentioned in Centre’s letter as well, which we have received only on November 2. We are preparing our response to the objections raised by them,” he said.