Overview
- The state named a Special Investigation Team on Monday after orders from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, with Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule setting a one-month deadline for its report.
- The panel is chaired by the Nashik Divisional Commissioner and includes the Settlement Commissioner, the IG of Registration and Controller of Stamps, the Nashik Police Commissioner, and the Director of Town Planning, with the Deputy Director of Land Records as member secretary.
- The inquiry will target projects over 4,000 sq. metres tied to a 2013 rule that requires reserving 20% of homes or land for low-income buyers, with allegations that some builders used forged papers or understated project size to dodge the mandate.
- The Land Records Department reviewed 128 cases and flagged 49 for suspected fraud, and police registered a case at Sarkarwada based on the department’s complaint.
- The SIT will recommend recovery of reserved land or dues, disciplinary action against officials who failed in oversight, and criminal cases against responsible developers, a move that could speed delivery of homes promised to poorer families and tighten compliance across Maharashtra.