Mumbai: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday announced that the state government will set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to conduct a detailed probe into alleged irregularities and corruption in land acquisition and mutation processes in Gangapur village of Navapur taluka in Nandurbar district.
Revenue Minister's Assurance
Making the announcement in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, Bawankule said the investigation will examine the acceptance of a disputed gift deed (baksis patra) and the subsequent mutations carried out in violation of established rules and procedures. He asserted that the inquiry would not spare anyone involved in the alleged irregularities, from the Talathi level to senior officials.
The minister was responding to a Calling Attention notice moved by MLC Chandrakant Raghuvanshi. Members Bhai Jagtap and Pravin Darekar also participated in the discussion.
No Family Ties
Bawankule said preliminary information points to serious technical violations in the case. According to him, there are clear legal provisions governing the transfer of government or restricted land through gift deeds. However, in the present case, there was no familial or legal relationship between the original landowner and the person in whose favour the land was gifted.
“Despite this fundamental discrepancy, the revenue machinery accepted the document and carried out the mutation entries. This suggests the possibility of a well-organised racket operating from the initial stage,” the minister said, stressing that a comprehensive SIT probe was necessary to uncover the entire chain of responsibility.
Tribal Land Protection
On a related issue concerning tribal land protection raised by Raghuvanshi, the minister said the government would review and cancel an earlier order that had removed the applicability of Section 36(2) of the Maharashtra Land Revenue Code, which safeguards tribal land from being transferred.
He added that if any legal hurdles arise, the state government would approach the High Court to ensure that tribal lands remain protected from misuse and illegal alienation in the future.
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