Petition filed against trust in CM Chavan's mother's name

MUMBAI: Gram-panchayat of a village near Karhad today filed a petition in the Bombay High Court alleging that land reserved for local water-supply project was given away to the trust set up in the name of Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan's mother.

Premalatai Chavan Charitable Trust, which runs educational institutes, got land on lease at very cheap rate, petition filed by Saidapur Grampanchayat alleges.

"We had demanded this land for potable water project for the village" said advocate Satish Borulkar, petitioner's lawyer. "When the water project was originally conceived, village's population was around 1600. Now it is close to 40,000, so the Panchayat badly needs the land," he added.

The revenue department gave the land to the trust on lease by order dated April 8, 2010, at the rate of Rs one per annum, for 30 years.

In a reply to the petition, sub-divisional officer Swati Deshmukh has said that the Gram Panchayat has no claim to this land, and no illegality has been committed in the allotment.

The petition mentions that trust was set up in the name of Prithviraj Chavan's mother. However, chief minister has not been made a party. "We do not know who controls this trust," said advocate Borulkar.

Division bench of Justices B H Marlapalle and U D Salvi asked government to file reply, and adjourned hearing to January 6.