Maharashtra: Cloud over Pune land deal done by Shinde govt

BJP leader Ujwal Keskar has written to CM Fadnavis asking him to scrap the land deal. File pic/X/@UjwalKeskar

A cloud of uncertainty looms over a decision taken by erstwhile CM Eknath Shinde's government to sublease two acres of land in Pune, near Sassoon Hospital, worth Rs 400 crore, to a private developer for just Rs 60 crore. With Devendra Fadnavis now taking charge as CM, the Pune BJP has written to him demanding that the deal be stopped.

They have demanded that a cancer hospital be constructed on the same plot as proposed earlier. If Fadnavis decides to cancel or review the land deal, this would be Shinde's second decision under the scanner in merely three months of the BJP-led Mahayuti government. Earlier this month, CM Fadnavis asked the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to review a Rs 900 crore housing project in Jalna. The project, initially scrapped in 2020 due to feasibility concerns, was revived later under Shinde, who was also in charge of the Urban Development Department.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has also asked for a housing project in Jalna, revived by the then Eknath Shinde government, to be reviewed. File pic

The letter from the Pune BJP (dated February 16) has urged the CM to stop the land deal as the proposal was approved by the then Shinde government despite being advised by the chief engineer of the Public Works Department (PWD), Pune division, to reconsider the deal.

In his letter to the PWD secretary, chief engineer Atul Chavan categorically asked to reconsider the decision to part with the plot in a prime locality. "Due to shortage of space, the government has taken many office spaces on rent and is spending several lakhs of rupees as rent. Instead of leasing out this prime property to a private player, the government should consider constructing an administrative building to house its offices," the letter mentions. mid-day is in possession of the PWD engineer's letter dated July 19, 2024.

Like the Pune PWD, even the ruling BJP leaders from Pune have raised a red flag. Alarmed by the move, the ‘Aaple Pune, Aapla Parisar' organisation, along with Ujwal Keskar - former BJP Opposition leader in the municipal corporation - and former corporator Suhas Kulkarni, have started the movement to save the Pune land plot and ensure it is used for constructing a cancer hospital and no other development activity.

BJP leader Ujwal Keskar wrote to CM Fadnavis regarding the land deal on February 16. File pic/X/@UjwalKeskar

In his letter to Fadnavis on February 16, Keskar alleged mismanagement and urged the CM to stop the deal. "The CM should stop the entire process and transaction. Instead, the government should construct a building for a cancer hospital as per plans proposed earlier," Keskar told mid-day. Questions raised over the CIDCO housing project in Jalna and the Pune land deal, apart from BMC's decision to scrap the tender process for Shinde's pet projects for door-to-door waste collection, slum clearing and drainage and toilet maintenance, have fuelled speculation of a growing rift between the Mahayuti leaders.

However, a senior BJP leader refuted the allegations about a cold war between the alliance partners. The leader stated that the BJP is running the government in line with its election promise of "clean governance" made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Fadnavis. If any decisions are not in the best interest of the government and citizens, they are bound to be reviewed. "BJP's commitment is towards citizens. Fadnavis-ji is working accordingly. There is no question of targeting any leader from the ruling or opposition party," the BJP leader added.