Mumbai: Ten builders who took transit camps on lease from Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) from 1996 till 2021, and defaulted on payments totalling Rs 121 crore were booked for cheating.Deputy chief officer of Mhada, Mohan Bobde, has lodged a complaint against these 10 developers at Kherwadi police station and the Economic Offences Wing of Mumbai police has taken over the probe.According to the complaint, the accused include 9M Infrastructure Pvt Ltd, Nakhawa & Jasol Developers LLP, Pradeep Gora Gandhi, J K Builders, Alhamd Developers, Vardhaman Developers, Uditi Premises Pvt Ltd, Sanghvi Premises Pvt Ltd, RR Builders and Hare Krishna Builders & Developers, along with other unidentified persons.Police said Mhada had allotted around 400 transit tenements located across different parts of Mumbai on a rental basis to several developers through lease agreements, No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and allotment letters during the period between Jan 1, 1996 and Dec 31, 2021. These transit premises are typically provided to developers to temporarily accommodate tenants displaced during building redevelopment projects.“As per the complaint, Mhada had leased transit camp land to various developers under agreements, No-Objection Certificates and surrender certificates for redevelopment projects. Initially, the developers paid the required rent and complied with the lease conditions, thereby gaining the trust of the authority and later stopped payments,” said an official.However, investigators said the developers later allegedly violated the terms and conditions of the lease agreements, resulting in financial losses to Mhada.
