Housing society sits on precious land for 41 years, loses it

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

In a major decision benefiting the public, Additional Divisional Commissioner Khushalsing Pardeshi has upheld an order to confiscate a valuable 10-acre plot in Group No. 16, Fatehpur, Nanded district, which a housing society left unused for more than four decades. The court directed the Nanded District Collector to take a final decision on the Gram Panchayat’s complaint regarding the confiscation of this land within six weeks.

The Shri Rohidas Charmakar Backward Class Housing Cooperative Society was allotted this government land in 1984 to build homes for its 160 members. However, for 41 years, the society failed to utilize the prime land, leaving it barren while the city faced a housing shortage. The Fatehpur Gram Panchayat waged a long battle for the land, arguing that such a vital resource could not be wasted. The village urgently needs the plot for a crematorium for the Lingayat community and for housing schemes for the poor. Moreover, the society defaulted on property tax payments amounting to Rs 78.4 lakh. Following repeated petitions from the Panchayat, the court instructed the District Collector to decide on the matter, after which the Collector ordered the land’s confiscation. When no action was taken, the Gram Panchayat, represented by Adv. Amit Mukhedkar, filed a fresh petition in court. The society’s last-ditch effort to block the action was rejected by additional divisional commissioner Pardeshi on August 14, finally bringing closure to a long-standing issue and ensuring justice for the people of Fatehpur.