Land clearance suspected tampering in metropolitan region

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The divisional commissioner Madhukarraje Ardad, has written a letter to the district collector Dilip Swami raising suspicion of irregularities in land clearances for the past four years under the Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MRDA).

The sub-registrar office's reluctance to provide copies of land transaction permits since August 2019 has triggered concerns. This delay disrupts the approved development plan for 313 villages in the region.

Ardad suspects unauthorized constructions and lack of compliance from officials. He has emphasized criminal action against developers and aiding officials under the Town Planning Act, 1966.

The commissioner has further directed to strictly register sale deeds only for plots approved by MRDA and refrain from registering unregularized plots. A deputy commissioner-led committee will investigate complaints of missing infrastructure and illegal camping during site inspections.

A high-level inquiry proposal against officials who issued fake zone certificates for non-agricultural permits is pending response from the urban development director Avinash Patil. With limited manpower and a single functional branch, the MRDA's functioning is hampered.