In Nashik, authorities have suspended thirteen officials linked to a land records scam. This includes four members from the district administration and nine from the land records department. The suspensions come amid ongoing investigations into the alleged misconduct within the city’s land management practices.
Sources said that further action against officials in the land records department remains likely as the probe continues into the broader network of 197 registered complaints and 45 affected housing projects. The probe revealed extensive irregularities in land measurement and sub-division records of the land title. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Nashik | Silver Rate in Nashik | Bank Holidays in Nashik | Public Holidays in Nashik | Petrol Price in Nashik | Diesel Price in Nashik | CNG Price in Nashik | LPG Price in Nashik Stay updated with the latest Nashik news.
The mutation entries were approved despite clear discrepancies in land records. Similarly, the officials approved unauthorized sub-division mutations using forged maps for survey numbers subject to urban land ceiling regulations. The authorities noted that all accused officials neglected necessary legal checks during their tenures, causing severe administrative lapses. Resident deputy collector Rohitkumar Rajput, acting on instructions from Gedam, directed additional tehsildars in Nashik, Niphad, Dindori and Nashik to examine office registers and submit evidence regarding the official conduct of the accused during their respective tenures. To ensure a fair and uninfluenced inquiry, the administration ordered the suspended officials to deposit their official registers immediately. Download the TOI App.
“Forged maps with govt seals were created for the land parcels with areas over 4,000 sqm and shown to smaller in size before transactions. The aim was to cut down the size of the plots to avoid handing over of 20% land for the lower income group housing projects under Mhada. The maps, shown to have been prepared in 2005, were presented to the respective offices and NMC in 2020.
“The departmental inquiry found these officials guilty of executing illegal mutation entries on property cards without verifying developer proposals or seeking proper orders from authorities, neglecting standard revenue protocols to favor private builders,” a senior district collectorate official said. A land records department official said the nine officials had allegedly “bypassed standard verification procedures. The alleged involvement of the four revenue officials ( a circle officer and three talathis) and nine of various ranks from the land records department came to the fore following an SIT probe led by divisional commissioner Pravin Gedam. Those were used for the permissions regarding plotting and other works,” the official added. The matter came to light in May following which a complaint was registered in with Sarkarwada police in Nashik city.