Published On : Mon, Dec 19th, 2016

NMC nod to flat scheme on vet hospital land raises eyebrows

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scam-alertNagpur: In yet another telling violation of norms by civic authorities, the town planning department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) town has sanctioned a residential flat scheme on land reserved for a veterinary hospital at Swawlambi Nagar near Ring Road in South-West Nagpur. The land is also mired in an ownership dispute.
The town planning department’s violation has come to fore through an order passed by municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar on December 7.

“Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), president of The Process Server Co-operative Housing Society and Amit Salampuriya have raised an objection on building plan sanction given to respondent Nalini Bute on December 2, 2015. Prima facie there is dispute on land ownership and also demarcation of the land. It has also come to the notice that land on which Bute is constructing the flat scheme is reserved for veterinary hospital in the city’s development plan. Therefore, stay is being granted on construction of building sanctioned by the town planning department. Bute should immediately stop the construction. Bute should approach superintendent of land record (SLR) for land’s demarcation and location,” Hardikar stated in the order.

Bute also accepts the reservation of veterinary hospital on the land. On September 23, 2004, Bute submitted an application demanding the state’s urban development department to take over the reserved land by giving reasonable compensation to her. On January 17, 2006, the urban development department approved the demand and wrote to NMC asking it to acquire the reserved land by paying compensation. However, NMC never acquired the land.
As per norms, the reservation could have been deleted on the land after passing of one year. But Bute did not complete the process.

Bute through a builder– Prayag Developers and Builders– began constructing basement+11 floors building on land measuring 16,140 sq ft.

“We were shocked to see construction of flat scheme on the land meant for veterinary hospital and under possession of NIT. Reservation is clearly shown in the city’s development plan and also sanction given by the NIT to The Process Server Co-operative Housing Society. We lodged a complaint with NIT on April 26. Accordingly, NIT served a notice to Bute asking them to stop the work and remove encroachments. NIT wrote to the NMC to cancel the building plan sanction and ensure removal of encroachments. Civic chief conducted hearing and stayed construction on September 17. Still, the construction went on,” said president of the society Sanjay Nakhate.

Cousin of Bute Sanjay Agre on her behalf told a leading newspaper that Bute was owner of the land and reservation was also in dispute. “Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) department had released the land as retainable to Bute. We were misguided by NIT that reservation existed on the land so applied for acquisition. Later, we learnt reservation was on adjacent plot owned by the NIT. Neither the NMC nor NIT is listening to our plea. We have all the documents to prove our case and will present them to SLR,” he said.

Surprisingly, Hardikar did not initiate any action against town planning department officials. “Let Bute and other parties clear the demarcation and location issue and then necessary action will be taken against persons concerned,” he said.