Land deal: Builder approaches police against Khadse

In fresh trouble for Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse, accused of misusing his official position to buy a reserved land in the name of his kin, a local builder today approached city police seeking action against the senior BJP leader and others for allegedly "defrauding" MIDC.
Khadse is in the spot over the purchase of the 3-acre MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) land in Bhosari allegedly at a throwaway price of around Rs 3.75 crore from its original owner in the name of his wife and son-in-law. The builder, Hemant Gavande, had claimed the market value of the land was Rs 40 crore.

Defending the deal, Khadse had claimed the land was never acquired by MIDC from its original owner.
"After I revealed the details of sale deed regarding the MIDC land in Bhosari, I presumed that MIDC will take necessary action and will approach police, however they did not do anything, prompting me to approach police to lodge a complaint," said Gavande.
When contacted, officials of Bundgarden police station confirmed the receipt of the complaint application submitted by Gavande.
Police Inspector Ajit Chaudhary said necessary action will be taken in the case after due inquiry.

Gavande alleged in his application that there is a "pre-meditated and well-planned criminal conspiracy" between the so-called original owners of the said property and the recent purchasers i.E. Wife and son-in-law of Khadse and others.

"Khadse had misused his office and has used his influence as a revenue minister to usurp and grab the piece and parcel of land or its benefits which admittedly has been acquired by MIDC, Bhosari, in 1971.
"It is an admitted position that, there are various industries on the said property and without the consent of MIDC and those industries no transaction, that too in the form of registered sale deed, would have been possible," he alleged.
"There is a provision in the Act that the land owner can receive the compensation which is more than two times the current market rate of the said property and Khadse was known to this fact," he alleged.

Gavande had alleged the land was purchased on April 28, 2016 from the original owner Abbas Ukani, a resident of West Bengal, keeping its present owner, MIDC, in the dark.
(REOPENS BOM26)
Gavande said he would file a criminal case in the High Court and seek a probe by the anti-corruption wing of CBI besides the Enforcement Directorate and Income Tax Department in absence of fair investigation.
He claimed that Khadase would have earned the profit of approximately Rs 80 crore through the "shady deal", denting the state exchequer.
"After the Sale Deed of the property, his (Khadse's) next move was to mobilise the revenue department to ensure that his family, who are now the so-called owners of the land, shall receive the compensation which is more than two times the current market rate of the said property.

"In 2010, the 'so-called-owner' Abbas Ukani had tried to sell the property, however, MIDC had taken objection, stating that the land is in possession of MIDC through acquisition procedures, and thus successfully scuttled the deal," the builder alleged in the application.
He said the present sale deed without following any "due-diligence" reflects the intention of the owners and purchasers to defraud the MIDC and the industries established on the said property.
Demanding an independent and fair probe, Gavande alleged that the entire transaction is "shady" in eyes of law and there is a larger criminal conspiracy which involves officers of revenue department.

(Reopens BOM 28)
Meanwhile, Khadse, while refuting the allegations late this evening, said that credibility of the person (Gavande) who lodged the complaint should be checked.
"There is a case registered against him in Pune for fraudulently forging documents to grab a land belonging to the Agriculture College, and the police probe into that case is in the final stage," the minister said.
"There are some people whose interests were hurt after I started taking action against their shady deals and now they are ganging up against me," he said.
"I am not going to fall prey to these blackmailers' tactics. I feel that a thorough probe should be carried out by the police in the present case," Khadse said.