Times of India: Navi Mumbai: Monday, August 17, 2020.
The Raigad zilla parishad has ordered
a probe after 42,000 sq ft of state government-owned land in Karjat has been
wiped out of its records over the last five years. No transfer of land has been
effected from the plot where a zilla parishad school stands.
In March 2015, the school was spread
over 46,800 sq ft of land, according to information shared under the Right To
Information Act. Currently, the school has over 4,600 sq ft of land. There is
no account of how and where the state has lost 42,000 sq ft of land.
A resident had donated the plot of
land in 1965 for a school. In all, 53 students from classes I to VII are
currently enrolled at this school which is surrounded by a newly constructed
building.
A school teacher said that four
teachers run the school in Bhisegaon which has been operating since 1959.
Activist Dinesh Bharkale said,
"The school plot had 43 gunthas (46,800 sq ft) of land as per 7/12 land
extracts provided to me on March 2015. Now, it is only 4.3 gunthas [4,600 sq
ft] as per RTI information. The point is around 39 gunthas of land [42,000 sq
ft] have gone missing without any sale or transfer of land... The authorities
are trying to hide the grab. Land records have been changed."
Another activist, Hrishikesh Joshi,
said, "The land worth crores has been grabbed by influential builders,
colluding with revenue, district education and Karjat civic body officials. To
cover up their wrongdoing, they are trying hard to close the issue."
Chief executive officer of Raigad
zilla parishad, Kiran Patil, said that he has ordered verification of the
school land details and submit a report.
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