Mumbai: Days after the Cabinet turned down the Revenue Department’s proposal for “direct allotment” of five hectares of land (12.35 acres) in Nagpur for educational purposes to Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Sansthan, Koradi, headed by Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the state BJP chief defended the sansthan.
The Cabinet decision followed objections by the Finance Department headed by Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar. The Finance Department said the “trust does not seem to be active in higher and technical education”. The revenue department, which is headed by Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil of the BJP, has now instructed the trust to follow government procedure for allocation of land to public trusts.
On Wednesday the state BJP chief said the Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Sansthan “is not the private limited trust or private organisation of Bawankule. The chairman changes every two years. The trust provides education to 800 students for Rs1 only. Please show me such an institute in Maharashtra”.
“This is not a personal matter. I am working for a religious cause. This is noble work. Our trust will pay the ready reckoner rate of the land, and take it on lease. This will not be my personal property,” he said.
Bawankule declined to comment on the finance department’s remarks, saying it was administrative work. “We will not be doing any illegal work and will follow every rule,” he said.
On November 29, 2023, the trust had sought the land through its secretary, Dattuji Samaritkar, for a string of colleges and skill development centres.
In its note to the Cabinet on Monday, the Finance Department referred to the guidelines for allotment of land for social, educational, health and charity purposes, as detailed in the Revenue Department’s policy dated July 25, 2019.
“…as per point 10, the said trust is not involved in research activities. However, it works for divyang and deprived sections of society… [the work] is in between and based on the situation… the said work does not require permanent land,” it said.
It also referred to point 11, which is related to proceedings for allotment of land for educational institutions active in higher and technical education.
“As per the report from district collector, Nagpur, procedure to initiate junior college and science-arts-commerce college under Shri Mahalaxmi Jagdamba Sansthan, Koradi, is underway… as per the report, the said trust does not seem to be active in higher and technical education,” the finance department said in its note, while also pointing out that Bawankule is the president of the trust.
The trust “does not qualify the criterion of being a renowned institution for which exception can be made… Based on this, the finance department opposes the direct allotment of land to the said trust,” it said.
Following the objections, the Revenue Department changed its original proposal on allotment of land, and directed the trust to follow the procedure as mandated by the policy instead.
