M'rashtra govt to take back plot allotted to Rajiv Shukla

Proceedings to take back controversial plot of land allotted to a trust run by Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Rajiv Shukla has been initiated, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said here on Friday.

In an official communique, the chief minister said,“The land was reserved for and had been allotted for educational purposes. The BAG Films Education Society (BFES) is running several educational complexes around the country. The state government had allotted the land on a 15-year long lease to the BFES for setting up an educational complex.” The statement further informed that the BFES had made necessary payments for the land as decided by the state government.

The state government following a brouhaha and furore over the issue, instructed the Additional chief Secretary (Revenue) to do the needful.

The plot in question, measuring 2821 sq metres, is located in a prime location in Andheri west. It was allotted to the BAG Films Education Society (BFES), New Delhi, run by Shukla and his wife Anuradha Prasad in 2007, during the tenure of late chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh.

The brouhaha and furore over the issue was raised last December by senior state Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya who alleged that it was allotted at a throwaway price to Shukla’s trust though the market value was far higher.

Later, the local media was full of allegations that the trust  flouted the norms by not constructing an educational institution for which the plot was allotted and instead planned to construct a posh club house with swimming pool in it.