MUMBAI: Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule held a review meeting at Mantralaya this week, directing swift action regarding the Rs 87 crore land compensation issue in Borivali.
In light of serious allegations, the minister told the Mumbai Suburban collector to file an FIR against the builder who reportedly received compensation unlawfully, as well as former government officials believed to have facilitated the questionable payout. Officials were ordered to finalize the FIR by 6 pm on Thursday.
The meeting concerns a long-standing conflict over CTS Nos 456, 458, and 458 (1 to 10) in Borivali, where the Devrukhkar family has raised claims of fraud, misuse of power, illegal compensation disbursal, and forced eviction from their ancestral land.
The Devrukhkar family’s land, held for generations, was designated for a public garden in the Development Plan. Following acquisition procedures, they were awarded over Rs 87 crore in compensation. However, the family claims that a significant share of this compensation was wrongly allocated to a private builder using disputed documents.
They maintain that they were excluded from the compensation process, denied their rightful share, and stripped of protections under land acquisition laws. Additionally, while a garden was developed on part of the acquired land, they were forcibly removed from the rest of the property, which included their homes, without proper legal procedure or rehabilitation measures.
Previous investigations revealed serious procedural errors in the compensation process. Authorities have reportedly froze a portion of the funds linked to the builder and his associates, with ongoing efforts to recover the remaining amount.
During the meeting, Bawankule urged officials to identify all responsible parties, initiate legal action, and submit a compliance report to the government promptly. His intervention marks a significant escalation in a case that raises alarms about land rights, misuse of authority, and accountability in public acquisitions.
The Devrukhkar family is pursuing legal recourse through their advocates, Rahul Lathi and Nikhil Mengde, who are seeking criminal charges against those involved and restoration of the landowners’ rights.
