NASHIK: The Sarkarwada police have registered a cheating case involving over 150 landowners and developers. They are accused of neglecting the mandatory 20% reservation for economically weaker section (EWS) housing in residential projects exceeding 4,000sqm.
The complaint was filed on March 7 by an officer from the land records department, stemming from an inquiry initiated by a committee led by the additional district collector. This investigation aimed to confirm whether developers were complying with government regulations requiring that 20% of land in projects larger than 4,000sqm be set aside for EWS housing, as stated in state housing policies from 2013 and 2017.
Within Nashik Municipal Corporation limits, this designated area must be allocated through the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). The FIR cites sections 318(4) (cheating), 335 (creating false documents), 336 (forgery), among other provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following alerts from MHADA officials, the inquiry committee reviewed multiple projects, discovering that at least 49 landowners, developers, and unidentified associates had allegedly manufactured documents to deceitfully divide larger plots into smaller ones to evade the EWS reservation rule.
According to Senior Inspector Suresh Avhad of the Sarkarwada police station, the revenue department and NMC have compiled a list of over 150 individuals implicated, including more than 100 landowners. “There are over 100 such projects throughout the city. A thorough investigation will clarify the roles of landowners and developers in the cheating and forgery, with arrests possible if necessary,” he stated.
