HC seeks response on illegal Tivim land grant to MIT Group

Panaji: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has called for replies from the Maharashtra Academy of Engineering and Educational Research’s MIT Group of Institutions, Pune, and the state govt in a petition challenging the “illegal” allotment of 2 lakh sqm of Tivim comunidade land to the institute at just Rs 12.5 per sqm.Eight gauncars of the comunidade of Tivim moved the HC challenging govt’s approval of the land grant without auction and alleging fraudulent allotment of the land to the institute.They submitted that the managing committee and the comunidade escrivao committed fraud and forgery to secure govt approval for a permanent lease of the comunidade land without auction.“The rate of Rs 12.50 per sqm for which the grant was made was neither requested by the institute, nor notified in the agenda, manipulated in the record, and much lower than the market rate of Rs 10,000 per sqm on the date of grant approval,” the petitioners, represented by senior counsel Carlos Alvares Ferreira, submitted to the HC.Petitioners said the investment promotion board stated that the institute is a multi-billion educational enterprise and is planning to invest Rs 256 crore in the project. It is expected that students will be charged hefty fees in lakhs of rupees per year, and OCI/NRI/foreign students who would pay in foreign exchange, the petitioners said.“There is no justification why the land of any comunidade should be frittered away to the detriment of the comunidade to such rich barons/entities,” the petitioners stated.

Petitioners also told the court that the fraudulent act by the committee and escrivao deprived the comunidade of higher revenue and gauncars of greater dividends.They are seeking to set aside the direction of govt, which accorded approval for the grant of the plot without auction, and quash the Tivim comunidade’s resolution granting a long-term lease to the institute.