IIT-Bombay Complains to State, HRD Ministry Regarding Land Grab Bid
The piece of land in question borders the campus from the Paspoli Village end and was obtained by the state government in 1956, and awarded to IIT-B
Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) is confronting the issue with obscure individuals who are asserting a piece of land on the campus for a trust, which the administration has called 'unlawful'.
The piece of land in question borders the campus from the Paspoli Village end and was obtained by the state government in 1956, and awarded to IIT-B. All compensation was paid to all the past land proprietors. While all the trust members have been very supportive, a few people with personal stakes are claiming ownership of land which belongs to the state of Maharashtra.
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The administration has sent a letter highlighting this issue to the revenue minister of the state, and officials at the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development and the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai. Another letter from IIT-B has been sent to the Union HRD Minister, making it clear that the private trust was paid compensation for the land in 1956 itself and that there had been no issues over proprietorship since.
While the land in question has been a matter of debate between IIT-B and the private trust, the Deputy Director of Land Records of the Konkan Region recently passed an order supporting the private trust.
The institute had filed an appeal challenging the order on October 4. The letter expressed that within the appeal of 60 days, the City Survey office in Mulund changed the property card for the sake of the private trust and others, who have already been compensated for the land.
When the management contacted the officials of the City Survey office, they said the decision to demarcate the land to the private trust was taken by the Deputy Director of Land Records.
Deependra Kushwah, Mumbai Sub Urban Collector, said that The City Survey office has no power to change the ownership of the land and only the government has authority to do this. The appeal filed by the institute challenging the decision of DDLR has again gone in favour of the private trust. In any case, IIT-B authorities said that the government has not yet signed off the land to the trust.