Mumbai, September 28 (Daily Kiran) : Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut has launched a fierce attack on the Maharashtra government, alleging a massive illegal land scam worth 900 crores in the Konkan region. Speaking at a press conference, Raut claimed that prime agricultural and forest land in Sindhudurg district was unlawfully transferred to wealthy non-agricultural investors from Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad, violating land protection laws.
Raut asserted that fertile agricultural land in the talukas of Vengurla, Sawantwadi, and Dodamarg had been systematically transferred to non-farmers. He pointed out that under Maharashtra’s Prevention of Fragmentation and Consolidation of Holdings Act, selling fragmented agricultural land to non-farmers without legal approval is prohibited.
The MP accused cabinet ministers and local legislators from the Konkan region of collaborating with “outsiders” and acting as real estate brokers. He specifically noted that a prominent “Hindutva” cabinet minister was behaving like an estate agent, facilitating the transfer of local farmers’ land to external parties. Raut demanded transparency regarding the commissions earned from these transactions.
While he refrained from naming any specific cabinet minister or local legislator, Raut claimed that besides the documented 900 crores, a significant amount of unregistered black money was circulating in these deals. He also highlighted illegal tree felling on the purchased lands, stating that buyers had already occupied the properties.
Raut mentioned that Jayant Patil of the Nationalist Congress Party had previously raised this issue, but the transactions continued unabated. He criticized the state revenue department for conducting superficial investigations over the past three years without taking strict action.
Directly challenging Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Raut demanded that all records related to land transfers in Sindhudurg be made public immediately. He called for the disclosure of all buyers, key individuals involved in the transactions, and the ministers or legislators facilitating these operations.
Leading a team of local Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, Raut announced plans to inspect the controversial sites in Sindhudurg to expose the extent of environmental and legal violations occurring on the land.
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