Nearly five months after getting a green signal from the government for the implementation of the cluster development scheme, the Mira Bhayandar Corporation (MBMC) has finally appointed an officer on special duty (OSD) to head the special task force (STF) to give momentum to the process.
The MBMC had duly floated advertisement to recruit the OSD following which retired town planning officer Dilip Ghevare was appointed as the chief of the dedicated STF which will shoulder the responsibility of land acquisition, planning of clusters, their development and revenue model.
Ghevare alleged involvement in 20-year-old urban land ceiling scam
Having a vast experience in the field of town planning and land acquisition, Ghevare who recently retired from the MBMC was in the eye of a storm for his alleged involvement in the 20-year-old urban land ceiling scam (ULC). However, he was absolved from all the charges by the Mumbai High Court in July, this year after a clearance report by the investigating agency under section 169 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in August, 2023 due to lack of sufficient evidence or a reasonable ground of suspicion to justify his complicity.
Notably, a notification had been issued by the urban development department (UDD), following which the civic administration had released maps of 24 urban renewal plans (URP’s) for the implementation of the much-awaited cluster scheme-largely benefiting occupants of dilapidated and dangerous structures to revitalize the city’s infrastructure comprehensively by toeing the lines of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) which became the first city to implement the scheme in Asia.
Areas to be surveyed for cluster development scheme
Seven URP’s in areas, including Mashacha Pada (15.66 hectares), Mandvi Pada (19.47 hectares), Dachkul Pada (27.74 hectares), Mahajan Wadi (10.44 hectares), Penkar Pada (27.74 hectares), 60 feet Road, Bhayandar (29.38 hectares) and Ambedkar Nagar (4.49 hectares) will be surveyed for the implementation of the cluster development in the first phase which would set a template for all future developments through the scheme.
After a drone-assisted aerial survey, the STF will embark on the actual on field measurement of properties, biometric survey, verification of building documents and preparation of a database of entitled beneficiaries. The state government has allotted funds amounting ₹10 crore for the scheme.
