Nagpur: MahaMetro and Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) are at loggerheads over the latter’s existing liabilities towards Krazy Castle amusement park concessionaire Haldiram Foods. MahaMetro wants NIT to settle the existing liabilities while the civic agency is not ready for this.
A MahaMetro letter to NIT chairman, dated April 7, 2018, states that the existing liabilities in regards to the concessionaire up to the date of handing over of the 6.47 acre land to MahaMetro will be on account of NIT.
Commenting on this demand, a senior NIT official said, “We are not handing over the park on our own but for the sake of development of the city. The existing liabilities of the park must be taken over by the new owner.”
According to the official, NIT has to refund extra premium of around Rs72 lakh to Haldiram. “The concessionaire had started using the parking for commercial purposes. We therefore increased the premium by 10%. However, an activist filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in Nagpur bench of Bombay high court claiming that the hike was too less. The NIT board then decided to increased the premium by 13% instead of 10%,” he said.
“Haldiram objected to further increase in premium and approached the HC. However, it paid the 13% hiked premium under protest. The court appointed a retired HC judge as arbitrator, who ruled that 13% increase was not justified and it should be only 10%. The extra 3% increase was to be refunded. Haldiram’s lease was to expire in 2021. However, the arbitrator directed NIT to increase it to 2025,” the official further said.
The official feels that the wording of the letter is ominous. “The existing liabilities could mean the Rs162 crore compensation demanded by Haldiram. Therefore this demand is in no way acceptable to us,” he said.
Initially MahaMetro wanted only 6,360 square metre out of the total 26,178 sq m (6.47 acre) land as it was included in the detailed project report (DPR). Haldiram, however, was not ready for a truncated park and stressed that the entire park should be taken over and it should be paid compensation. Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari decided to transfer the entire land to MahaMetro in February end.
