Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Eknath Shinde, in State Assembly on Tuesday, announced to constitute a committee that will discuss various issues related to Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT), Nagpur Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (NMRDA), open space, Gunthewari and other issues. He said the committee will take all aspects into account and submit a detailed report. He was replying to the issues raised by Nagpur’s MLAs Pravin Datke, Krishna Khopde and Vikas Thakre related to NIT and NMRDA. Datke also demanded that NIT should be dissolved. During the first term of Devendra Fadnavis as Chief Minister, Datke had made the same demand and the Chief Minister had assured him of dissolution. But Maha Vikas Aaghadi Government revived NIT, pointed out Datke.

 

Datke said, “There are 1.5 lakh plot-holders who bought land in NMRDA. Under Gunthewari Act under Section 3(2) (A), the land-owners need to leave 10 per cent land for Public Utility (PU). Many land-owners have left that much land. Still, NMRDA is asking them to leave more land. In the same section, it is said that the condition of PU land is applicable for those who haven’t sold the land or done any construction on it. Now, the 1.5 lakh plot-holders are waiting to get Release Letters (RL) from NMRDA. This issue should be resolved immediately.” Vikas Thakre, MLA from West Nagpur constituency and President of Nagpur City (District) Congress Committee has alleged that there is a RL scam in NIT and problems are being faced by hundreds of citizens due to lack of regularisation of their unauthorised houses and plots under the Gunthewari Act.

 

The State Government announced that the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) has been given powers to regularise unauthorised houses and plots also on reservation lands if it feels in public interest. MLA Krishna Khopde and some others moved a call attention motion pointing out various issues related to NIT and NMRDA. Many citizens in Nagpur city are building houses on open space, park and other reserved land of various types and their houses should be regularised under the Gunthewari Act. On this, Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde has asked the Nagpur Improvement Trust to regularise the reserved land under the Gunthewari Act and has also sent a letter to that effect. MLA Krishna Khopde said in the House that for the last 40-50 years, citizens have been building houses on open space/park and many types of reserved land.

 

When a representation has been made to the Nagpur Improvement Trust many times for regularisation, NIT is delaying it, citing the High Court reason. Lakhs of citizens have filed applications with the NIT for regularisation by paying Rs 3000/-. Even though the Nagpur Improvement Trust has the power to regularise through Gunthewari under Section 3 (1), it has ignored this and has been reluctant to remove reservations for years. Khopde pointed out, “A committee should be formed once again. For the last 50 years, Congress leaders have worked to get the votes of the citizens by making false promises. They have never even made a simple attempt to remove reservations. Similarly, the Congress government also misled the slum-dwellers in the name of land allotment. In 2014, Devendra Fadnavis became the Chief Minister and in 2017, he took a decision to give ownership rights to the slum-dwellers. Also, many minor reservations including ring railway, market, parking plaza, police establishment and many minor reservations were excluded under the leadership of Fadnavis. And now, Eknath Shinde, while replying took an important decision to exclude many reservations.” 

 

 

MLA Vikas Thakre alleged NIT regularised five unauthorised plots of a builder on 40,000 sq mt land approved as playground. He also alleged that there is RL scam running in NIT. Speaker Rahul Narwekar asked Minister Uday Samant to take information from Thakre, hold meeting and take satisfactory decision in this regard. Accordingly, Samant accepted to comply with the directions. Replying to Thakre, Samant said letter has been issued by Urban Development Department to NIT on March 5, 2025. In the letter, Urban Development Department cleared NIT can regularize unauthorised houses and plots on reservation lands if it feels it is in public interest.

 

Urban Development Department also cleared Development Plan and Regional Plan will stand modified if regularisation done under Gunthewari Act. Thakre said it will pave way for regularisation of hundreds of houses and plots developed on reservation lands. NIT is main culprit as done nothing when unauthorised plots and houses cropped up. Purpose of reservation ended up as houses and plots constructed to a great extent that too for last many years.