Mumbai: Mhada will pay Rs 200 crore to re-acquire three plots involved in the Rs 1,039-crore Patra Chawl redevelopment scam. The state cabinet approved the payment last week. A govt resolution was issued on Thursday.The payment is part of Mhada’s consent terms filed before HC, which is hearing a contempt petition by builder Guruashish Constructions, a subsidiary of HDIL.
Mhada had appointed Guruashish Constructions for the project in 2008. A tripartite agreement was signed between the residents of the Goregaon locality, the planning authority and the builder to enable the redevelopment. However, by 2011, the redevelopment was stalled. Mhada took over the project in 2018 and completed it by 2024. While the redevelopment project was stalled, the builder sold nine plots that were part of the Patra Chawl layout to other developers. Enforcement Directorate has alleged Rs 1,048 crore was raised through these sales and that most of the funds meant for the 3,000-flat project to house 672 tenants were siphoned off. Private societies were built on three plots; the court conveyed these to the societies. A fourth was reserved for rehabilitation. On the fifth, since the plinth had been built, the court allowed construction to continue. The remaining four plots are vacant. In the contempt plea, Guruashish Constructions sought compensation, along with 9% simple interest since 2011. If given compensation, the entire rights would then vest with Mhada. But, Mhada has agreed to pay interest only from 2018, when it took over the project. While three builders agreed, the fourth initially refused, said officials. “Now that the cabinet has approved the payment to the other builder, the fourth builder, too, has agreed to accept the payment,” said an official. The money will be recovered from the sale of the flats to be built on these plots at market rates, which was recommended by a govt committee headed by former chief secretary Johny Joseph.
