Shruti Sneha, Pune
On Monday, the Maharashtra Cabinet rejected the revenue department’s proposal to directly allocate 5 hectares of land in Nagpur for educational use to a public trust led by State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, due to objections from the finance department headed by Deputy Chief Minister and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Ajit Pawar.
The finance department opposed the revenue department’s proposal, which was requested by Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Sansthan, Koradi, stating that the trust appears to be inactive in higher and technical education.
Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of the BJP, who leads the revenue department, has directed the trust to adhere to government protocol when allocating land to public trusts.
When reached out to, Bawankule explained that he had been the president for just two years of the longstanding trust. He continued, “I am employed in support of a religious purpose. This is honorable labor. We will pay the official rate of the land and lease it.” He stated that this will not belong to him personally.
He refused to provide a comment on the finance department’s statements, stating that it fell under administrative duties. He stated that we would adhere to all rules and avoid engaging in any illegal activities.
The problem originates from November 29, 2023, when the trust had requested the land for building a junior college, science-arts-commerce college, and technical and nursing education college as skill development centers through its secretary, Dattaji Samaritan.
In a note to the Cabinet on Monday, the finance department mentioned the guidelines for allocating land for social, educational, health, and charity purposes, outlined in the revenue department’s policy from July 25, 2019.
According to the District Collector’s report, the process of starting a junior college and a science-arts-commerce college at Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Sansthan in Koradi is in progress.
The trust is not considered a well-known institution that can receive special treatment, so the finance department is against giving the trust land directly.
After the finance department raised concerns, the revenue department modified its initial suggestion for land allocation and instructed the trust to adhere to the policy’s required procedure instead.
There have been occasions in the past where the Cabinet bypassed the finance department’s concerns to approve land allocation. The Cabinet recently gave the green light to a plan to rent out valuable land in South Mumbai close to Mantralaya, spanning an area of 2,995.75 square meters, to a non-profit group named Jain International Organisation for a period of 30 years. This is for the construction of a primary and secondary school, despite opposition from the finance department.