Times
of India: Nagpur: Wednesday, 07 October 2015.
Finally,
Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has woken up from its slumber and started takin
steps to save two plots owned by it on RPTS Road, Laxmi Nagar. Notice has been
issued to Laxmi Nagar-based Scientific Cooperative Housing Society warning of
legal action for selling two NIT-owned plots to two builders. The civic agency
has realized the sale of its properties worth crores only after TOI's expose
and initiative taken by RTI activist TH Naidu.
Naidu has
obtained papers related to the two cases under Right to Information (RTI) Act
on October 3. NIT has provided three documents to Naidu, of which one letter
dated September 19 was sent to the society and remaining two to Laxmi Nagar
Zone, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and City Survey Department.
In the letter
sent to the society, NIT has directed the president or secretary of the society
to submit reply within 15 days of receiving the letter. "NIT will begin
legal action against the society if it does not receive a reply in the
stipulated period," NIT said.
NIT official
said the society has not submitted a reply to the letter as on date. Strangely,
society secretary Arvind Gadhikar told TOI he was not at all aware of any such
letter and the society did not receive a letter from NIT. "I had said in
the past also that the society has no records related to sale purchase of the
two plots. The cases are of 2005, when I was not in the executive body. Office
bearers of the society of that time may be able to comment on the two
cases," he said.
The NIT
letter states, "Society sold two plots no P-3 and P-4 in Scientific
Society, mouza Ajni, to JP Behor on April 6, 1955. Then, NIT had purchased the
two plots from Behor on January 8, 1964. NIT had then announced public auction
of the two plots on December 2, 1994. Society had filed petition in the court
challenging the auction. The court had dismissed the petition. The society had
not challenged the order further. It has come to fore that the society again
sold the two plots to some persons. It was an irregularity. Therefore the
society should give an explanation along with appropriate documents."
In the other
two letters, NIT has asked NMC to register its name in property tax and also
City Survey Department for mutation in its name.
Society
president Vishwas Khot, who was secretary when the two plots were sold, was not
available for comment as his mobile was switched off continuously.
In April,
Naidu had witnessed construction work on one of the two plots. He had lodged a
complaint with NIT. Taking cognisance, NIT had razed some construction done on
the plot. TOI had highlighted the construction work and also the action taken
by NIT. In preliminary stage, it appeared to be a case of construction work
going on in layout's open spaces.
But NIT took
no initiative to find out exact ownership of the two plots. Naidu obtained
documents related to the two plots from department of registration and stamps
and also from NMC. TOI had exposed how the society sold NIT owned plots to two
builders with agreement to sale executed on October 20, 1996 and sale deed on
October 31, 2005 with Decent Developers and Gandhi Builders.
Naidu had
submitted all documents proving NIT's ownership to NIT chairman Shyam Wardhane
in August. Then NIT swung into action after realizing it owned the plots.
Naidu said
Wardhane should also take action against NIT officials. "NIT did not
register its name with NMC and City Survey Department after purchasing the two
plots for road widening works. Society took undue advantage of this and sold
the plots to builders, who registered their names promptly with NMC and City
Survey Department," he said.
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