Adarsh housing society is built on Defence land- Revenue Records Reveal

The Hindu Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jun 29, 2011
Records show Adarsh housing society is built on Defence land Staff Reporter
Allotment order sent by Revenue Dept. to Mumbai Collector proves this
Mumbai: According to records available with the government of Maharashtra, the land on which the Adarsh cooperative housing society was built was in the possession of the Defence Ministry. On Tuesday, Sanjay Dhikle, Superintendent Mumbai City Survey & Land Record, Mumbai, told the two-member Adarsh inquiry commission that according to an allotment order dated July 9, 2004, the government of Maharashtra had accepted that the land was in the possession of the Ministry.

“The allotment order sent by the State Revenue Department to the Collector of Mumbai stated ‘approval is given to give on ownership basis the land measuring about 3758.82 sq. mts. near plot no. 87C in BBR Block VI, which is at present in the possession of the Defence Department, to the Adarsh CHS,” said the commission's senior counsel Dipan Merchant.

“It is true that the government of Maharashtra has, by this order, accepted the fact of possession of the land in question by the Defence Department,” Mr. Dhikle said in the commission.

Meanwhile, as earlier published in The Hindu, government counsel told the commission on Tuesday that none of the documents and sheets was missing in the Adarsh matter from the City Survey and Land Records office. Mr. Dhikle was directed by the commission to produce the relevant sheets on Wednesday.

Earlier, survey sheets no. 10, 13, 772 and 778 were said to be “not available.” These pertained to the land in question in Block VI of Colaba.

During the proceedings, Mr. Dhikle told the commission: “The Adarsh CHS was given possession of the land in question on 4 October, 2004. It was only paper possession… I cannot say whether the Adarsh CHS was put in actual possession of the land in question at any time thereafter.”

Meanwhile, the commission on Tuesday granted permission to Major S.K. Lamba to cross-examine Brigadier Deepak Saxena in the Adarsh matter. Major Lamba, now retired, is a part of the Mumbai Citizens' Group.

He wrote to the commission on June 24 requesting permission to cross-question Brigadier Saxena. The commission on Tuesday granted Major Lamba 15 minutes for it.
Records show Adarsh housing society is built on Defence land