Team Goemkarponn
MOPA: The Maharashtra government has ordered a probe into agricultural land transactions carried out in the Dodamarg and Sawantwadi areas of Sindhudurg district following the operationalisation of Goa’s Mopa International Airport, amid allegations of large-scale illegal purchases by outsiders.
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to investigate land transactions in the region. He said the inquiry will examine land deals carried out over the past three years after the commencement of operations at Mopa Airport.
The minister said the decision followed complaints from local legislators, who alleged that non-resident builders and outsiders had purchased agricultural land from farmers in violation of existing laws, allegedly for land banking purposes.
“Legislators have complained that in the Dodamarg and Sawantwadi areas, non-resident builders have purchased agricultural land from farmers in violation of established norms. This appears to be for the purpose of land banking. In some cases, plotting has been carried out without changing the land use or zone,” Bawankule said.
He alleged that several outsiders had acquired agricultural land by posing as farmers, circumventing legal restrictions governing such purchases.
According to the minister, several transactions appear to have violated provisions of the Maharashtra Tenancy Act, the Registration Act, and applicable land-use and zoning regulations. He also alleged that plotting was undertaken on some parcels of land without obtaining the mandatory change in land use or zoning permissions.
Bawankule reiterated that, under the law, only persons who qualify as farmers are eligible to purchase agricultural land, irrespective of which state they belong to.
He said the SIT will submit its findings after examining the transactions, and the government will initiate strict action wherever violations are established.
“We will take strict action if any violations are found in these land transactions,” the minister said.
