MIDC will sell its plots online

Cautious after revenue minister Eknath Khadse’s resignation over the Maharashtra Industries Development Corporation (MIDC) land row, the industries department is now going online to sell its vacant plots in order to avoid any irregularities. Keeping this end in mind, industries minister Subhash Desai announced on Thursday that the government is going to initiate transparency in the process of selling the plots.

“Every MIDC plot to be sold will be displayed on the website www.midcindia.org so that buyers can apply for the same. The online application process will last for 15 days, after which the applications would be reviewed. The distribution of the plots will be done in a month’s time. The new policy will introduce transparency in the plot allotment process,” Mr Desai told reporters in Mantralaya.

The decision will be implemented in those MIDCs that are left with only 20 per cent of its plots. The government can also maintain an open record about each plot’s ownership, the minister added.

Plus, the department would be putting up all its land records online so that land disputes can be easily resolved. The revenue department had undertaken a similar initiative to make all land records available online for public access.

Officials in the industries department admitted that the decision was taken in the wake of the MIDC plot controversy that Mr Khadse is involved in.

Mr Khadse’s wife and son-in-law had “illegally purchased” three acres of land belonging to the MIDC in Pune. Hemant Gawande, a local construction professional, had alleged that the market value of the three-acre land was approximately Rs 40 crore, but Mr Khadse purchased it at a throwaway price after exerting his influence. The land was purchased on April 28, 2016, from original owner Abbas Ukani, a resident of West Bengal, allegedly with the MIDC being kept in the dark.