Housing project will be stalled if there is discrepancy: Prakash Mehta

The state government will put a stay on saleable component of the redevelopment of new D.N. Nagar Cooperative Housing Society in Andheri, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in the assembly on Tuesday while intervening in a debate over calling attention motion moved by Congress MLA Naseem Khan and others.

Housing minister Prakash Mehta agreed that there were several violations, including taking over the adjacent recreational ground, when responding to the debate on the issue. He said that though some of the residents of D.N. Nagar had moved court, a thorough inquiry would be conducted in the case and the project would be stalled if discrepancies were found.

The project, comprising eight buildings, has 480 houses for low income groups among other properties to be developed. The lease and transfer deed has been completed and the state government is duty-bound to protect the tenants, Mr Mehta said as he replied to the motion.

When replying to another calling attention motion moved by Pune MLA, Medha Kulkarni, Mr Fadnavis said that the state government would appoint a committee of retired Supreme Court judges to decide on the policy regarding lands which were not being developed due to article 20 of the urban land ceiling (ULC) act, which had not been scrapped even after legislation was scrapped. Several land plots were not being able to be developed due to problems related to ULC, Ms Kulkarni pointed out.