Rohit Pawar Alleges Maharashtra Minister Involved in Rs 5,000 Crore Land Scam

Mumbai: NCP (Sharad Pawar faction) MLA Rohit Pawar on Monday accused Maharashtra Minister Sanjay Shirsath of illegally transferring a prime 15-acre CIDCO land parcel in Navi Mumbai — valued at nearly Rs 5,000 crore — to one Bivalkar family, allegedly by bypassing established procedures.

Rohit, the grand-nephew of NCP founder Sharad Pawar, claimed that the land, originally reserved for affordable housing for the poor, was handed over during Mr. Shirsath’s very first meeting as CIDCO chairman in 2024.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rohit Pawar further alleged that the Bivalkar family had been rewarded with over 4,000 acres of land in Navi Mumbai by the British for siding against the Maratha Empire. Following Independence, the land was taken over by the state under various laws and government resolutions.

“The Bivalkar family repeatedly attempted to reclaim the land through various manipulative means, but their efforts were consistently rejected at every stage. However, in 2024, as soon as Mr. Shirsath took over as CIDCO chairman, he brushed aside all regulations and, in his very first meeting, decided to allocate approximately 15 acres of the land to the Bivalkar family,” the NCP (SP) leader claimed.

Mr. Pawar also said the land could have been used to construct up to 10,000 affordable housing units, benefiting thousands of low-income families. “Instead, the rightful share of the poor has been gifted to the heirs of those who once sided with colonial powers,” he alleged.

The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has announced a protest march at the CIDCO office in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday, demanding the revocation of the land allocation and Mr. Shirsath’s resignation from the state cabinet.