Corruption Watch

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[url="http://www.telegraphindia.com//1101113/jsp/nation/story_13171959.jsp"]Flat controversy greets new Chavan[/url]

Mumbai, Nov. 12: Prithviraj Chavan has been sucked into a controversy on his first day in office over a flat allotted to him at Wadala in south-central Mumbai in May 2003 by former chief minister Sushil Kumar Shinde.



The documents have surfaced a day after Prithviraj was sworn in chief minister and created a flutter, although such allotments to MLAs and MPs under the discretionary quota are quite common in Maharashtra.



The 64-year-old Prithviraj has taken over from Ashok Chavan, who has got embroiled in a row over allotting flats to his in-laws at Adarsh housing society, built without the environment ministry’s clearance and in violation of coastal zone regulations.



The documents have been obtained by city-based RTI activist Anil Galgali, a freelance journalist who runs an NGO and apparently has no political affiliation.



They include: a) a letter dated May 20, 2003, by then additional collector Subhash Hazare informing Prithviraj a flat had been allotted to him by Shinde under his discretionary quota for MPs; <img src='http://www.india-forum.com/forums/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/cool.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> an application by Prithviraj to Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority for a flat; c) an affidavit by Prithviraj saying he did not own a flat or a plot in Mumbai.



In the first of the letters written by the urban development department and dated April 23, 2003, additional secretary A.B. Hazare informed Prithviraj that Shinde had okayed the allotment of a second floor flat B-1 (measuring 105.45sqm) to him at Bhakti Park housing complex at Wadala under the quota reserved for MLAs and MPs.



The letter stated the allotment had been made strictly according to eligibility criteria and asked Prithviraj to submit an application form along with necessary documents.



On May 17, 2003, Prithviraj submitted an application for a flat under the high income group scheme, mentioning his average monthly income in the past 12 months as Rs 76,000.



In an affidavit signed on May 2, 2003, he affirmed he and his family members did not own a flat or house or a plot in Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Khadki, Nagpur, Solapur and other cities, according to the documents.