The 48-acre land known as the ‘American Mission Bungalow’ in Kolhapur’s Tarabai Park area has been officially valued at approximately Rs 492 crore by government authorities. This valuation highlights the significant worth of the property within the local real estate market.
It was in 1939 that the erstwhile Kolhapur royal administration allotted the land to the American Mission for educational and religious activities. In 2010, the then district collector converted the land from Class B to Class C tenure, enabling subdivision and sale of plots. After years of litigation and administrative proceedings, the land’s Class B status was restored in Jan 2024, a decision later upheld by the divisional commissioner in 2025.
We will also examine whether some structures can be regularised under existing provisions,” Rathod said. Consistent efforts helped the government realise the need to protect this land from further encroachment,” he said. “We will prepare a time-bound action plan. Illegal constructions and encroachments will be dealt with as per government rules. After Independence, ownership vested with govt while the mission continued to hold the property under a Class B leasehold tenure. Large-scale residential and commercial development followed. “The land worth several hundred crores of rupees was sold through a nexus involving officials. In April this year, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule dismissed appeals challenging the restoration order. The decision has also revived demands that the strategically located land, situated near Kolhapur’s Central Bus Stand and railway station, be utilised for government offices and other public infrastructure projects.