December 29, 2017

Days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) registered two separate cases probing a land scam involving more than 300 acres of land in Majiwade village, Thane, the agency will now check records of 64 plots to identify the builders who were granted these lands by government bodies.

CBI says unknown officials from M/s Provident Investment Company Limited (PICL), Finance Department of Madhya Pradesh and Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) connived with various unknown builders and private individuals to usurp the land.

The land is worth thousands of crores and belongs to the Government of India (GoI). Earlier in the month, the CBI had registered two FIRs to probe the alleged transfer and sale of the land by PICL and Madhya Pradesh government to private builders.

The matter stretches back to 1925 and involves the erstwhile princely state of Gwalior and textile baron Mathuradas Gokuldas.

"On September 3, 1925, Mathuradas Gokuldas, a Hindu-Undivided Family, mortgaged plots amounting to 314 acres at Yeoor Revenue Village and Majiwada Village of Thane to the erstwhile state of Gwalior Darbar. The deed of indenture was again executed in 1938 and the Gwalior Darbar was represented by its Finance Minister and PICL, which transferred and assigned the mortgage to PICL. By then, PICL was looking after the financial investment portfolio of the erstwhile princely state," says a CBI official.

The loan given to Gokuldas was from the funds of the Gwalior State Railways, which after independence, merged with Indian Railways. Under Federal Financial Integration, all properties mortgaged by Gokuldas were transferred to the Central Government. "After 1947, PICL became the PSU undertaking of the Madhya Pradesh government and was assigned the management of mortgaged properties located in Bombay, Thane and Pune on behalf of GoI," said the officer.

As per the records of Talathi, the ownership of the 64 plots is still with GoI. "They were either given on long lease or sold to unknown builders," said the CBI officer. "NOC for development was given by the said government bodies. We are now checking all land records from TMC to ascertain which builders were provided these lands."

In 2012, Mumbai High Court directed the CBI to probe into the matter while hearing a case pertaining to the destruction of records of prime properties in Mumbai. After five years of investigation, CBI filed cases under sections of criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption against the unidentified officials of all the three bodies and unidentified builders.

The agency will also register another case about Gokuldas' land in Pune was sold to private builders.

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Source: dnaindia.com