Nashik: A case has been registered at the Government Wada Police Station against 49 developers and landowners in the city for allegedly bypassing rules and committing fraud under the MHADA Inclusive Housing Scheme. The accused are suspected of collectively attempting to evade the mandatory 20 per cent housing quota reserved for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) by using fake documents and fabricated layout plans.
According to available information, an inquiry by the District Collector revealed that certain land parcels larger than 4,000 square meters were falsely shown as subdivided to circumvent the provisions of the MHADA scheme. Fake documents, forged signatures, and manipulated layout plans were allegedly used for this purpose. Although the land parcels were not actually subdivided, the accused claimed that the measurement and division had been carried out, thereby misleading MHADA authorities.
Under the MHADA Inclusive Housing Scheme, reserving 20 per cent of the housing units for economically weaker sections is mandatory. However, by falsely portraying land subdivision, the developers and landowners allegedly attempted to avoid this requirement. Based on the findings of the inquiry, police have registered a case against the suspects under serious sections related to cheating the government by using forged documents.
As per the complaint registered at the Government Wada Police Station, 49 developers and landowners from the city are involved in the case. Judicial proceedings against the suspects are being expedited. Police suspect that the scope of the case could be larger, raising concerns about the role of developers in Nashik.
According to the inquiry report, MHADA has clearly been defrauded in the matter. The planning by developers and landowners should have yielded around 193,248 square metres of land, but this did not materialise. This means that nearly 4,500 housing units could have been developed. Instead, by violating the rules, the government allegedly suffered a loss of around ₹160 crore, the report stated.
Shivkumar Awalkanthe, Chief Officer of MHADA Nashik, said that “Now, the responsibility of restoring the 7/12 land records lies with the Revenue Department, while the Municipal Corporation’s Town Planning Department will be responsible for cancelling the approved plans. Further action will be taken as per the directions of senior officials of the Housing Department.”
