NASHIK: The Nashik office of the assistant collector and sub-divisional officer (SDO) has issued revision notices to 439 individuals connected to 49 disputed land transactions, invoking Section 257 of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code (MLRC), 1966. This action follows a revision application from the Nashik tehsildar, which has asked landholders to provide valid documentation for the alleged sub-division of their plots.
These notices, dated March 18 and signed by naib tehsildar Jitendra Dhanrale, pertain to properties across various areas including Adgaon, Deolali, Wadner Dumala, Panchak, Mhasrul, Nandur Dasak, Gangapur, and Chincholi. According to additional tahsildar Amol Nikam, an investigation by the deputy superintendent of land records uncovered that developers submitted forged sub-division maps to the talathi offices. Despite no legitimate measurements or legal divisions, land records were manipulated to falsely present fragmented plots in the names of the 439 holders.
The crux of the situation is the alleged effort to bypass the state’s Inclusive Housing Scheme, which requires that residential projects larger than 4,000 sqm allocate 20% of their area for housing designated for economically weaker sections (EWS) and low-income groups (LIG), to be transferred to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).
To avoid these stipulations, developers allegedly created fictitious land fragments, each under the 4,000 sqm maximum threshold, using forged documents and falsified layouts. This deliberate manipulation has led to a criminal case at the Sarkarwada police station involving 150 builders and landowners.
The SDO has set a hearing for March 27 at 3 PM, warning that failure to appear may lead to the removal of names from the Record of Rights. The suspected misconduct dates back to 2013, shortly after the inclusive housing policy commenced. It is believed that developers in areas such as Mhasrul, Adgaon, and Deolali used forged signatures of land records officials and altered layout plans to execute these irregularities. A high-level committee led by the additional district collector reviewed 128 projects and identified 49 serious violations, estimating that Nashik lost out on nearly 6,500 potential EWS homes due to these fraudulent activities.
