Allocation of land for communities: New policy bypasses fair competition

As per the policy, “The organisations belonging to specific communities should approach the department concerned if they need a plot in Navi Mumbai for social and educational purposes. After the department concerned presents the said proposal to CIDCO, once lease premium is paid, the said plot will be given to the department. The said department will further sub-lease the plot to the organisation concerned after charging the necessary fee.”

The state cabinet had cleared this decision of giving a plot to Dhangar community in the same cabinet meeting of March 11, 2024, just before the Lok Sabha elections. Going by the decision, the Maharashtra government had on August 12, 2024,  issued a government resolution sanctioning a 4,000-square-metre plot in Navi Mumbai’s Kharghar to an organisation named Abhinav Samaj Foundation that worked for social and educational welfare of Dhangar community.

While it followed the newly approved policy for the land allocation to the Dhangar community, The Indian Express had, on August 31 reported about another such land allocation. In November 2023, the government leased out land admeasuring 5,600 square metres to a trust headed by Water Conservation minister Sanjay Rathod, for the construction of a community centre for the Banjara community.

The allocation was based on a single application and it did not take note of CIDCO’s existing procedure of issuing advertisement and inviting applications. While the decision to lease out the land to the trust headed by Rathod was taken in a cabinet meeting on September 16, 2023, the government had not changed the policy then. The policy was changed in the cabinet meeting on March 11 this year.

The UDD mentioned that the cabinet has decided to allot a plot to Banjara community and one more demand from Dhangar community has been raised. “As a result, it is necessary to formulate a policy for the distribution of plot for social and educational purposes,” it said.

According to sources within CIDCO, allocation of plots under the new policy would invite favouritism and loss of revenue to the state government since no auction will be held. Calls and messages made to Principal Secretary, UDD, Aseem Gupta, did not elicit any response.

In the cabinet note, CIDCO explained that it allots plots for social purposes only by issuing an advertisement for the same. “There is no provision to allot the plot directly or through an application,” it had said.

As per the prevalent policy of CIDCO, “lands reserved for social purposes are distributed only by publishing an advertisement. There is no provision for distribution of land directly or through application”.