Raut claimed that both Shinde and Shirsat personally gained Rs 20,000 crore from the deal and further alleged that Rs 10,000 crore was given to the Union Home Minister
Sanjay Raut demanded that Shinde and Shirsat be removed from their posts immediately and that a criminal case be registered against them File pic
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, raising concerns over an alleged Rs 50,000 crore land scam in Maharashtra’s Raigad district. Raut claimed that nearly 4,078 acres of forest land were illegally transferred to the Bivalkar family by the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), reported ANI.
According to Raut, the alleged deal involved collusion between the state’s Revenue Department, Urban Development Department, CIDCO officials, and certain ministers. He directly held Union Home Minister Amit Shah, CIDCO Chairman Sanjay Shirsat, and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde responsible for the land transfer.
“This scam, executed through the collusion of the Revenue Department, Urban Development Department, CIDCO officials, and ministers, has defrauded both the government and the public. As you are ultimately responsible for this, I am addressing this letter to you,” Raut wrote in a letter to Shah, which he also posted on X, reported ANI.
“I demand, on behalf of the project-affected people of Raigad district, that Shinde and Shirsat be sacked from the cabinet and that a case be registered regarding this Rs 50,000 crore land scam, with an investigation conducted by the Enforcement Directorate (ED),” he added.
As reported by ANI, Raut further accused the Union Home Minister of failing to keep promises of eradicating corruption. He alleged that central investigative agencies were being misused to shield corrupt practices rather than expose them.
In his letter, Raut claimed that both Shinde and Shirsat personally gained Rs 20,000 crore from the deal and further alleged that Rs 10,000 crore was given to the Union Home Minister, reported ANI.
Calling Shah the “head of Shinde’s party,” Raut wrote, “In Maharashtra, the Urban Development Department and CIDCO have been involved in a Rs 50,000 crore land scam, where Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde and former CIDCO Chairman Sanjay Shirsat have allegedly pocketed at least Rs 20,000 crore. It is openly claimed that Rs 10,000 crore of this amount was paid to the ‘bosses’ in Delhi, with the implication pointing towards you…”
Raut also alleged that Shirsat was quickly appointed as CIDCO chairman specifically to oversee the controversial transfer under the 12.5 per cent land allocation scheme.
“The Bivalkar family, ineligible for 30 years, was arbitrarily deemed eligible by the Urban Development Minister and CIDCO chairman,” Raut’s letter stated.
The Bivalkar family, back in 1936, had been granted 4,078 acres of land as ‘saranjam inam.’ This land was later leased to the forest department for 90 years, after which it was notified as a private forest, reported ANI.
In 1987, the same land was reallotted to the family through a government notification. Subsequently, the Bivalkar family sought compensation under CIDCO’s “12.5 per cent compensation scheme,” which grants land to those whose property is acquired for development projects. In 2015, the Bombay High Court ordered that the land be returned to the family, but CIDCO challenged the ruling in the Supreme Court, which stayed the order.
Despite the Supreme Court stay, Raut alleged that a recent meeting resulted in directives being issued to provide 12.5 per cent of the land back to the Bivalkar family.
As reported by ANI, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader highlighted that while thousands of project-affected people in the region are still waiting for land under the same scheme, CIDCO approved a massive land allocation in favour of one family.
“Even today, thousands of project-affected people (PAP) in the region remain deprived of land under CIDCO’s allocation scheme. CIDCO officials shamelessly claim there is no land available for poor and marginalised project-affected families. Yet, astonishingly, no such obstacle arose when allocating Rs 50,000 crore worth of land to the Bivalkar family alone,” Raut’s letter to Shah added.
Holding Shah responsible for enabling what he called a setback to Maharashtra’s progress, Raut demanded that Shinde and Shirsat be removed from their posts immediately and that a criminal case be registered against them, reported ANI.
(With inputs from ANI)
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