Mumbai: PWD officials booked for selling 6 BDD blocks meant for classrooms

The BMC’s education department runs schools in numerous blocks in Worl’s BDD chawls. File Pic/Ashish Raje

The Worli police have booked three officials of the state government's Public Works Department (PWD) and six others for illegally selling and buying six blocks in Worli's Bombay Development Department (BDD) chawls that were rented by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to use as classrooms. The officials allegedly used forged affidavits and ration cards to sell the blocks, which are 10x10-foot rooms.

The BMC's education department runs schools in numerous blocks in various wards. In the G South ward, BMC has rented 66 blocks in BDD chawls. The civic body pays the Public Works Department around Rs 858 per month to use all of them. The BMC used to run a Marathi-medium and Telugu-medium school in building no. 84 and 100 respectively. The former accounted for two blocks while the latter has four. However, students who attended classes in these buildings were shifted to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar School as both had been deemed dangerous.

The six blocks were then locked up. But in 2019, BMC officials received a call from an unknown person revealing the blocks had been sold to someone. When the officials visited the place, they found that their locks had been changed. After getting the locks replaced, the BMC wrote to the Worli police about the matter and also informed the PWD department. To their surprise, civic officials found the six blocks had been sold to some individuals. A departmental enquiry was then held and all the three PWD officials faced action.

Following complaints from BMC, Worli cops booked Sudhakar Sangle, then-director of BDD chawls, Worli; Anil Kanitkar, then-manager of BDD chawls and Susheel Sonawane, then-chawl supervisor. The people to whom the blocks were transferred - Vijay Palane, Sadashiv Dharne, Sharda Dantal, Ashok Motling, Shamla Nalla and Manda Gamne - have also been booked.

"The accused used forged documents like affidavits and ration cards to prove the handover of the blocks. This must have been done to obtain flats once the chawls are redeveloped," said an officer of Worli police station. "It's yet to be ascertained how much money was involved," he added. The FIR has been filed under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 420 (cheating), among others, of the Indian Penal Code. DCP (Zone 3) Akbar Pathan stated, "The investigation is in the primary stage and it's premature to say whether more officials were involved."

66
No of blocks rented by BMC in BDD chawls