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Business News/ Industry / Infrastructure/  Thousands throng Mantralaya for flats in Hiranandani Gardens
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Thousands throng Mantralaya for flats in Hiranandani Gardens

People from in and around Mumbai wanted to submit applications for 400 sq.ft. flats in the Powai township

The chief minister’s office had on Tuesday denied announcing any housing scheme in Hiranandani Gardens and reiterated its stand on Wednesday. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/MintPremium
The chief minister’s office had on Tuesday denied announcing any housing scheme in Hiranandani Gardens and reiterated its stand on Wednesday. Photo: Abhijit Bhatlekar/Mint

Mumbai: Thousands from in and around Mumbai continued to throng Mantralaya (state secretariat) on Wednesday to submit application forms for 400 sq.ft. flats in the city’s upscale Hiranandani Gardens residential township in Powai.

Crowds had started gathering outside Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan’s office on Tuesday to submit the application forms distributed by the Maharashtra Republican Left Democratic Front—an alliance of splinter groups of Republican Party of India (RPI) and various left parties—in slums of Mumbai.

The application form says, “I’m poor and I’m in need of the house. I have come to know the state government has announced a housing scheme for economically weaker sections to be developed at Powai by Hiranandani developers and I should be given house of 400 sq.ft. in the scheme for 54,000."

The chief minister’s office had on Tuesday denied announcing any such scheme and reiterated its stand on Wednesday. Speaking with reporters, Chavan said: “There seems to be some mischievous elements spreading these rumours with malicious intent. I have asked police to register an FIR and conduct thorough inquiry into the matter."

President of Bharatiya Republican Party, Prakash Ambedkar, accepted that his party was responsible for distributing the forms.

“I challenge Chavan to debate the whole issue with me on a public platform, and I will convince him that Hiranandani Builders have taken both the government and the people for a ride in the name of building homes for the economically weaker section (EWS)," said Ambedkar, who also heads Maharashtra Democratic Front (MDF)—an alliance of various left liberal parties.

Milind Ranade, secretary of the Mumbai unit of Red Flag Party involved in the demonstrations outside the Mantralaya, said: “In February 2012, Bombay high
court directed Hiranandani Builders and the state government to submit a plan for providing houses to economically weaker sections of the society in Powai but since they failed to do so, we asked people to demand their right from the government."

Ranade further alleged, “In 1986, 230 acres of land was leased out to Hiranandani Builders for 1 per acre for building houses for economically weaker sections. But not a single home was built and luxury homes of more than 2,000 sq.ft. were built, and all subsequent governments continued to overlook violations by Hiranandanis."

When contacted, MD of Hiranandani Group Niranjan Hiranandani said, “According to the high court order, we are to give 15% of total flats to the government, and we have conveyed our willingness to do so. But we are waiting for environmental clearance to start construction."

Chavan refused to answer questions on alleged violations by Hiranandani Builders. “The dispute with Hiranandanis is subjudice," he said.

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Published: 06 Feb 2014, 01:14 AM IST
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