Indus Cooperative Housing Society: Another Adarsh nipped in the bud?

MUMBAI: The breaking of the Adarsh Cooperative Housing Society scam has nipped in the bud a similar act which politicians and ministers were planning to pull off at the proposed Indus Cooperative Housing Society at Wadala.

In return for clearing the file, several Mantralaya departments added their own people to the original list of members — the finance department added three, revenue added 25 and so on.

Indus Society was promoted by a few IAS officers; subsequently IPS officers, government servants, MLAs and MLCs joined in and the list went up to 130 members. The society applied for land at Wadala, and the government in principle showed willingness to allot 13,000 sq metres (over 3 acres) in September 2009.

It was then that the officials realised that the plot was next to the creek and was covered under the provisions of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification , allowing them to use only 7,000 sq mts (less than two acres), sources said. The society then submitted a reduced list of 92 members to the Mumbai collector, who pruned it to 74 since some members were not eligible. Since the area was reduced, the building could have accommodated only 82 members for 1000 sq feet flats.

Sources in the government said that when the file started moving in Mantralaya , politicians demanded their pound of flesh to clear the proposal and names began to be piled on to the list of 74.

‘‘ When it went to the finance department, three names were added, in revenue another 25 came in. Finally , the CM’s office called for the file. But since the Adarsh scam was unearthed, the names added to the file will be deleted or the allotment of land to Indus may be delayed,’’ said sources.