The arrest of Sanjay Raut, who has fast earned the sobriquet of Uddhav Sen’s hanuman (or hardcore loyalist), and the ED raids are just political vendetta. But it would be pragmatic to take a look at some of the known facts about the Patra Chawl scam.
The crux of the scam is a massive redevelopment project which has led to the slum dwellers cheated of their compensation and rent as well as their properties. And many of them are common Maharashtrians. Of course, the timing of the arrest, and the absolute inaction on this when the BJP-Sena government was in power clearly points to the politically linked efficiency in these investigations, but that is a given and that ship has long sailed.
However, be that as it may, it is important that the Patra Chawl scam is known, because the misuse of power cuts both ways.
Fifteen years ago, the Maharashtra Housing and Development Authority (MHADA) entered into a tri-partie agreement with Guru Ashish Constructions and the tenant’s society comprising 672 tenants of the Chawl, spread over 47 acres of land. MHADA, the state’s housing body had announced that it will be constructing homes for the 672 tenants of Siddharth Nagar or Patra Chawl, in Mumbai’s Goregaon area and give them homes measuring 650 square feet.
The builder started selling FSI on that land to 9 different developers. The developer is allowed to sell the FSI, but only after he has constructed and rehabilitated the tenants, and in this case, to date the tenants are awaiting.
Now when a developer takes over a redevelopment project he pays ‘rent’ to the society members till he has constructed and handed over them their house. These tenants stopped receiving rent from the builders and rushed to the MHADA to sort this out. Most tenants lost their homes to a developer who had promised them rent and a home.
According to local journalists in Mumbai, reports suggest that since ED figured that Pravin Raut, an alleged close associate of Sanjay Raut, and also of some directors of Guru Ashish Constructions had started misleading MHADA.
According to journalist Varun Singh who has covered real estate in Mumbai for 20 years and “Pravin Raut allegedly sold the floor space index (FSI) to nine private developers, collecting Rs 901.79 crore. Reports further claim that ED has stated that Pravin Raut, an alleged close aide of Sanjay Raut, received Rs 100 crore from real estate company and then it was allegedly diverted to various accounts of his alleged close associates, and even family members” (On Twitter)
The charges are rolling out thick and fast. The story goes on. Singh writes “another report suggests that ED has alleged, that as early as 2010, just two years of the agreement, Rs 83 lakh, was allegedly transferred to Sanjay Raut’s wife Varsha Raut, who apparently used the money to buy a flat in Dadar.”
Another charge is that around eight plots of land were purchased at Alibaug in the name of Varsha Raut and another woman Swapna Patkar.
Varun Singh tweets “it is believed that the Patra Chawl scam is of no less than Rs 1000 crore and is a classic example of making the poor common citizens suffer and the nexus of Politicians-Builder-Babu who made hordes of money”
By no means does this make Raut the sole black sheep in a sea of white, and it’s clear the BJP and the rebel Sena (claiming to the real Sena) are performing the “Empire strikes back” role to perfection. The intensity of the political war is obvious because here there are no strangers. The enemies know each other as well or better than their own families. In this theatre of the known, nothing should surprise. No quarters will be given, and none asked.
But above all this, there is a public duty to be fair, irrespective of whether you are a victim or a perpetrator of political wrongdoing. If the political targeting of Raut is unfair, so is the manner in which poor tenants have been robbed of their homes. Sanjay Raut’s biggest challenge is to prove that he had no links whatsoever with the prime beneficiaries of the scam and money trail which led to the purchase of the Dadar flat and the Alibaug plots.
