By Ira Deshpande
A major land deal has ignited fresh controversy in Pune. Post the reveal that a 40-acre parcel
of government-owned land was reportedly sold for roughly ₹300 crore to a firm linked to
Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar. The plot, near the upscale
Koregaon Park-Mundhwa area, has an estimated market value of nearly ₹1,800 crore, raising
sharp questions about possible irregularities.
According to official records, Amadea Enterprises LLP, of which Parth Pawar is a partner,
signed an agreement for the land which was classified as Mahar Watan land (land historically
reserved for the Mahar community). The stamp duty payable in a transaction of this scale
should have exceeded ₹20 crore, but the recorded payment was a mere ₹500.
In response to mounting criticism and a preliminary internal report exposing possible
wrongdoing, Ajit Pawar announced that the deal has been cancelled. He stated his son and his
business partner were unaware the land belonged to the state. “Not a single rupee has
changed hands,” the deputy CM said, and emphasized that the land can’t lawfully be sold in
that form.
The Maharashtra government meanwhile has ordered a high-level inquiry. A committee led
by the Additional Chief Secretary will probe how the registration was allowed, how the
clearance was obtained, and whether revenue losses were incurred by the state. A sub-
registrar and other officials have already been suspended pending investigation.
The incident has been seized upon by opposition leaders, who have described it as evidence
of a pattern of land abuse. They demand a thorough independent judicial investigation and
draw attention to the significant valuation disparity. It brings up long-standing issues with
transparency, governance, and the covert transfer of public land into private hands, according
to civil society activists and analysts.