Def land leased at throwaway prices in Mumbai

Defence land more than half the size of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park in the city has been encroached by the land mafia, according to a recently-released report of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC). The panel reveals encroachment of defence land rose from 6,903 acres in 1997 to 14,539 acres in 2009. Worse,as of March 2010, 2,500 acres of land valued at a staggering Rs 11,033 crore was on lease for an annual rent of Rs 2.13 crore, it said adding that the rent collected is a pittance considering value of the land. The committee was critical of the ministry. No visible efforts have been made to take up 3,780 cases of lease renewal. In 1,800 cases, no requests were received for renewal and in 1,081 cases, the status of leases was unknown. The panel said the reasons behind encroachment included laxity and neglect. Non-mutation of land records and nonutilization of vast tracts of defence land only encouraged encroachment, it said. The PAC observed the existence of multiple authorities like the Directorate General of Defence Estates and Local Military Authority, which look after management of defence land, has exacerbated the situation for want of clear demarcation of responsibility. It recommended creation of a single unified authority to look into management and protection of defence land and fast recovery of encroached land.

via GroundTruths

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