Maharashtra: Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow in Alibaug to be demolished

Maharashtra: Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow in Alibaug to be demolished

"In all, there are 121 illegal bungalows in Alibaug and 151 illegal bungalows in Murud. Some of these illegal bungalows belong to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Smita Godrej, Madhukar Parekh and others," Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam said.

Officials said Nirav Modi’s bungalow would be demolished as it violated Coastal Regulation Zone
Officials said Nirav Modi’s bungalow would be demolished as it violated Coastal Regulation Zone

Maharashtra Environment Minister Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday asked the Raigad district collector to demolish fugitive businessman Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow in Alibaug. The direction came at a review meeting in Raigad district regarding illegal bungalows that was chaired by Kadam.

“In all, there are 121 illegal bungalows in Alibaug and 151 illegal bungalows in Murud in Raigad district. Some of these illegal bungalows belong to Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, Smita Godrej, Madhukar Parekh and others. I have asked the Raigad collector to demolish the illegal bungalow of Nirav Modi,” Kadam said while addressing the media after the review meeting at Mantralaya.

Officials from the district collector’s office said Modi’s bungalow is in Kihim village, while Choksi’s bungalow is in Awas village in Raigad district. Officials said Modi’s bungalow would be demolished as it violated Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

When asked about the demolition of other illegal bungalows, Kadam said there are stays either granted by the district courts or the High Court.

“So, we have now transferred the cases to the National Green Tribunal. The police will conduct the document verification in a month. All the cases in NGT are likely to be cleared in the next 2-3 months,” Kadam said. The minister, however, said action would not be taken against illegal bungalows built by locals. Of the 121 illegal bungalows in Alibaug, sixty bungalows are built by locals. In Murud, 50 of the 151 illegal bungalows are built by locals.

Last week, the Bombay High Court had questioned the inaction by the Raigad district collector in carrying out demolition. Raigad collector Vijay Suryawanshi confirmed the order given by Kadam to demolish Modi’s illegal bungalow.

“We have written to the Enforcement Directorate, which has attached the bungalow, asking them to allow us to carry out the demolition. The demolition will happen after we get a go-ahead from ED,” said Suryawanshi.

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