Sanatan Prabhat > Post Type > News > National News > 1,000 square meters of Government land in Mumbai has been illegally under the control of the ‘Church of St. Andrew and St. Columba’ organisation for 33 years

1,000 square meters of Government land in Mumbai has been illegally under the control of the ‘Church of St. Andrew and St. Columba’ organisation for 33 years

  • Hindu Vidhignya Parishad demands immediate action.

  • Arrears of Rs. 3 crore 17 lakh 4 thousand 895, for more than 3 years

Mumbai – The Hindu Vidhignya Parishad has made a serious allegation that 1,137.32 square meters of Government land in the very prominent ‘Fort’ area of ​​Mumbai has been illegally under the control of the ‘Free Church of Scotland’ (today’s ‘Church of St. Andrew and St. Columba’) since the last 33 years. In this case, the Council has written to the Secretary of the Revenue Department demanding action against the concerned guilty officials and the immediate transfer of this land to the Government. According to the complaint filed by the The Hindu Vidhignya Parishad, in 1894 the land of ‘Survey No. 1,405’ in the ‘Fort’ section was given to the then ‘Free Church of Scotland’ on a 99-year lease. In the 1930s, this institution was merged with the ‘Church of St. Andrew and St. Columba’ institution.

The term of this lease expired on 13 June, 1993. According to the rules, after the expiry of the lease term, the Government ought either to have renewed the lease or evicted the concerned institution and taken possession of the land; however, for the past three decades, the Mumbai City Collector has not taken any concrete action in this regard.

The original tenant has disappeared, yet control remains, and the administration is resorting to sending notices.

The organisation to which the original land was given (‘Free Church of Scotland’) no longer exists. The organisation ‘Church of St. Andrew and St. Columba’ has gained control over the land. Despite not providing any evidence of land transfer, the Collector’s Office is carrying out the formalities by sending notices to it.

Arrears of Rs 3 crore 17 lakh 4 thousand and 895 since more than 3 years’

In 2022, the District Collector issued an arrears notice of Rs 3,17,04,895, but it has not yet been collected. Despite having powers under Section 53 of the ‘Maharashtra Land Revenue Code’ to take action against those in unauthorized possession, the administration has not taken any action to recover the arrears for the past three years.

Take disciplinary action against the guilty officials! – Advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar

This issue is not limited to one church, but in many cities of Maharashtra, misuse of Government lands continues even after the expiry of the lease. The organisation experienced significant revenue losses due to negligence from the revenue department, which allowed the land to remain in its possession. Advocate Virendra Ichalkaranjikar, National President of Hindu Vidhignya Parishad, has called for disciplinary action against the officials responsible for this oversight.

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