Nagpur: Serious irregularities and violations have been unearthed in the Orange City Park Housing Scheme approved under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Wanadongri, on the outskirts of Nagpur. The scam was exposed by Congress’ West Nagpur MLA Vikas Thakre, prompting Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to direct Minister of State for Housing Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar to initiate an official inquiry.
Following the revelations, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) has ordered Millennium Developers & Promoters Pvt Ltd to immediately stop the sale of villas and flats under the scheme.
Gold Rate
06 June 2025
Key allegations and violations:
1.Fake road shown for layout approval:
The developer allegedly presented a non-existent 18-meter-wide road to secure layout approval, despite not owning the land where the road was shown—either on the approval date or at present. Shockingly, MHADA officials still sanctioned the layout and building plans.
2. Use of incorrect development plan:
Although Vanadongri has been a Municipal Council area since 2016 and falls under a Regional Plan, MHADA granted approvals based on the draft Development Plan of the Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA)—which does not show any access road to the layout.
3.Plinth certificates without road access or local approval:
MHADA issued plinth-level construction certificates without receiving mandatory clearance from the Wanadongri Municipal Council and without the existence of the main road.
4.Fire NOC and structural clearance skipped:
Several eight-storey buildings were approved without obtaining Fire No Objection Certificates (NOC) or structural clearances.
5. Violation of Supreme Court order:
Villas were handed over to buyers without occupancy, fire safety, or structural clearances, in direct violation of a Supreme Court order dated December 17, 2024 (Civil Appeal No. 14604/2024). Some residents have already moved in.
6.Environmental and civic norms flouted:
The project lacks a sewage disposal system and tax assessment. Moreover, sewage is reportedly being discharged into adjacent agricultural land without any treatment.
7. False inspection report by MHADA officer:
In March, MHADA Nagpur official Maheshkumar Meghmale allegedly filed a misleading inspection report favouring the developer, concealing rule violations and encroachments, and ignoring the fact that villas were occupied despite no occupancy certificate.
8. Allegations of land encroachment:
Nearby farmland owners have accused the developer of illegally encroaching on their plots. Written complaints have been lodged with the municipal council and local police.
MLA Thakre demands criminal action:
In his letter, MLA Vikas Thakre has demanded that the Housing Department take immediate control of the entire project and initiate a criminal case against the developer and complicit MHADA officials. He accused MHADA officers in Mumbai and Nagpur of facilitating this large-scale fraud, allowing the developer to gain benefits under PMAY. “Many citizens invested their life savings to buy homes in this project. The government must act now,” he said.
