Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis (File photo)
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Monday gave consent for a thorough probe into a controversial slum rehabilitation project at MP Mills Compound in Tardeo, which had been sanctioned by Housing Minister Prakash Mehta allegedly without the CM’s consent and in violation of the Development Control norms.
Speaking in the Legislative Assembly, Fadnavis said, “I announce a thorough probe into the SRA project at MP Mills Compound. The nature of the investigation and guidelines will be framed in consultation with Leader of the Opposition (Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil) and group leaders across party lines.”
The BJP minister’s decision to give consent to the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) project, allegedly bypassing the chief minister and providing a Rs 500-crore benefit to a private developer in the process, also caused a major embarrassment to the party-led government. While giving his nod, despite being warned against it by Additional Chief Secretary (Housing) who had said there was no provision to transfer housing projects for slum-dwellers to other projects under the SRA schemes, the minister had claimed that he had already informed the CM about it.
Stating that the controversial project had been aborted even before it could start, Fadnavis said, “When the matter came to my notice, I immediately rejected the file.”
In violation of the DC norms, Mehta had sanctioned the SRA project allowing additional building rights of slum-dwellers to be transferred to a scheme for project-affected persons (PAPs). The change in the norms generated additional building rights worth Rs 500 crore for the developer, SD Corporation.
Mehta said, “Yes, it is a fact that I had not taken consent from the chief minister for the SRA project before giving my nod.” He tried to cover up the lapse, arguing: “We had a meeting with the CM where 21 files related to various policies and projects were discussed.
But my officer conveyed to me later that the file related to the SRA project was not part of the bundle. At that point I told my officer I had already conveyed the matter to the CM.”
Mehta, however, insisted that he did not commit any wrong. “Nobody should question my morality as I have not done any wrong. Let the CM order a probe. I am ready to face it.” Adopting an aggressive posture, he continued: “The decisions I have taken had its origin in the policies evolved during the Congress-NCP government.”
The role of former SRA chief Vishwas Patil, who had put up the proposal before the minister, would be probed too.
Patil mooted the proposal on April 13, 2017, reportedly saying as many as 1,969 slum-dwellers were not willing to avail the bigger tenements and therefore the additional area could be transferred to a construction project to build 306 tenements for PAPs.
The SRA scheme allows a developer to build houses, after seeking consent from 70 per cent of the beneficiaries, for free accommodation of slum-dwellers on a part of land. However, it gets the additional Floor Space Index (FSI) to construct towers for commercial sale to recover the project cost and also earn profit.
According to government records, the MP Mills Compound scheme was considered for a 60-storey Imperial Towers in 1996. The developer had to provide houses for 2,334 slum-dwellers to avail additional FSI.
gHowever, in 2009, the slum colonies demanded expansion of their homes from 225 to 269 square feet. This meant the developer had to build 1.1 lakh square feet for the tenements. As per the calculations, it provided free sale commercial component of 82,764 square feet, which amounted to Rs 580 crore,” said an SRA official.
SD Corporation then allegedly conveyed to the former SRA chief that only 300 tenements were to be expanded as the remaining beneficiaries had forfeited their claim to larger houses saying they were not interested. It was conveyed to the SRA that the developer could explore to avail 95,762 square feet area meant for slum colonies for the other project.
Accordingly, Vishwas Patil took up the proposal with the housing department, allegedly saying as many as 1,969 slum-dwellers were ready to forfeit their right to expansion of the tenements, and therefore the available land could be used for the PAP project along with a rider that 71,822 square feet free sale (commercial) component worth Rs 500 crore should be retained to the developer.
Earlier, Opposition leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, Prithviraj Chavan and Jayant Patil had demanded resignation of the housing minister until the probe was over.
