Panel submits report on CM's discretionary housing quota to HC

A one-man Commission, appointed to probe the alleged irregularities in allotment of flats under Chief Minister's discretionary housing quota in Maharashtra in the last three decades, today submitted its report to Bombay High Court along with recommendations and proposed action.
The Commission was asked to probe double or multiple allotment of flats under CM's quota since 1982 and recommend action to be taken against the beneficiaries.
The report was handed over in a sealed cover to a bench headed by Justice Abhay Oka which took it on record and asked the Government to file an affidavit by December 21 stating what steps it would take to implement recommendations made by the panel headed by retired high court judge, J A Patil.

The Commission, in its report, has also suggested action to be taken against defaulters.
The HC has asked the State to spell out its stand on the action to be taken against those who have been allotted double or multiple allotments of flats under CM's quota.
The matter has been posted for further hearing on December 22.

The high ourt also asked the state to inform the timeframe within which it would implement the recommendations and proposed action.
The bench, on October 9 last year, had appointed Justice Patil to probe the allegations of double or multiple allotment of flats in a public interest litigation filed by activist Ketan Tirodkar.

The HC had asked the committee to probe the allegations and file a report before it. The tenure of this committee was to end on October 15 this year. However, it was extended till November 30 on a request made by the panel.
The PIL alleged that many people got more than one flat under CM's quota by making false declarations. It said most beneficiaries are politicians or those who are close to them.
Pending recommendations by the committee, the HC had earlier asked the state to continue its ongoing action against those who got the flats by filing false affidavits.

The judges had also asked such beneficiaries to return the flats or pay up the price if they have sold off the flats.
The court had ordered that the government must ensure that those who have got multiple flats hand over the possession back to the authorities.
The HC has asked the Patil committee to scrutinise all the applications for flats since 1982, and look for the cases where a single person has got more than one flat.The HC was informed earlier that the government has filed FIRs against 27 people for getting flats fraudulently.
The allotment under the CM's quota has now been stopped following the court's order. Under the scheme, the flats were supposed to be given to freedom fighters, art personalities and sports persons.