Mumbai: Dawood Ibrahim's properties sold for 11 crores

Fugitive Dawood Ibrahims three structures are now under the Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment umbrella After failing at the finish line two years ago it was mission accomplished for the Saifee Burhani Upliftment Trust SBUT which won the auction for three of Dawood Ibrahims properties Held at the Indian Merchants Chambers Kilachand Hall yesterday the auction began at 10 am and wrapped up by early afternoon The SBUT bought the dons Shabnam Guest House Rs 352 crore Dambarwala building Rs 353 crore and hotel Raunaq Afroz Rs 453 croreKhaki wave at Churchgate at the start of the auction PicSuresh KarkeraAn SBUT spokesperson confirmed the development and said The three properties are now under our ongoing Bhendi Bazaar redevelopment project All are in a dilapidated condition and unfit for living To ensure the safety of the tenant families and to carry on with the redevelopment we participated in the bidding and acquired the properties The SBUT had been locked in a bidding battle for Raunaq Afroz two years ago when the auction was held at a Colaba hotel Then activist S Balakrishnan had outbid the Trust promising Rs 428 crore over the latters Rs 427 crore However he couldnt cough up the money and had to forfeit his claim on the propertyOne of the three properties SBUT wonFact checkThe SBUT was established in 2009 after the cluster redevelopment policy was announced to redevelop the city in clusters rather than individual buildings The Bhendi Bazaar Redevelopment project has more than 250 decrepit buildings 3200 families and 1250 shops to be incorporated in 17 new buildings and modern infrastructure Tenants have currently been moved to transit accommodation and the same will happen to residents of the newly acquired buildings A senior SAFEMA competent authority official said The auction was held as per norms with all three methods sealed tender eauction and public bidding Dawoods properties were sold to the highest bidder in all methods Now the winner needs to deposit the funds within the stipulated time to take possession of the propertiesMedia persons surround a SAFEMA official after the auctionFormer Mumbai Police commissioner D Sivanandhan lauded the successful auction It is clear now that the government has established a grip on things This auction is an important development It shows that the government means business This attitude will be helpful in bringing down Dawoods empire he said adding The three properties should be used to house either government offices or police postsMedia persons surround a SAFEMA official after the auctionReality of realtyThis January the Appellate Tribunal for Forfeited Property had cleared the governments move to take over Dawoods properties under the provisions of SAFEMA dismissing 27 appeals of people claiming to be old tenants in Dambarwala building and Shabnam Guest House The first and the third floor apartments in Dambarwala building are Dawoods ancestral assets where he stayed with this family before fleeing India in 1986 Later his mother and then brother Iqbal Kaskar stayed there The latter is presently in judicial custody in connection with the extortion cases registered against him by the Thane police3200 No of families to be given homes in the new buildings1250 Number of shops under the Bhendi Bazaar project250 Number of buildings part of the redevelopment projectAlso view Mumbai 18 suicides that shocked the city