NASHIK: The civic authority has initiated steps to revoke 26 preliminary layouts in the initial phase of actions related to the MHADA housing scam, following the police booking of 197 individuals and the establishment of a state-appointed special investigation team to probe the matter.
Officials from the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) town planning department indicated that this action was prompted by reports from the land records survey department, which revealed that the tentative layout maps were absent from the department’s official base maps. “The cancellation process for all 26 layouts will begin and is expected to be completed within the next two to three days, after which a consolidated order will be issued,” stated an NMC official.
Recently, the NMC conducted hearings for 169 landowners and developers accused of violating the mandatory Economically Weaker Section (EWS) housing regulations. These hearings were part of an investigation into alleged infractions concerning the requirement for 20% EWS housing in projects larger than 4,000 sq meters.
Last month, the Sarkarwada police filed cheating cases against over 150 landowners and developers for reportedly evading EWS housing stipulations. This action followed a complaint from a land records department official, post-inquiry by the additional district collector, which identified violations of the state housing policies from 2013 and 2017, mandating the allotment of reserved housing units to eligible beneficiaries through MHADA.
