Pune: The district administration has submitted a final proposal to the state govt for permanent transfer of approximately 44.5 acres of land in Mundhwa to the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).The move follows recommendations by a high-level committee led by additional chief secretary (revenue) Vikas Kharge. The panel was formed to probe controversial land transaction involving survey numbers 88/1 to 88/26 in Mundhwa. In its report submitted on March 25, the committee recommended the restoration of the land and its permanent transfer to the BSI to prevent future irregularities.“We have completed the entire process from our end, and the file is now with the state govt for final approval,” Pune collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI on Wednesday. He added that the Kharge panel had directed the collectorate to finalise the proposal within a two-month window.The land parcel has been under the possession of BSI on a long-term lease since the 1950s, with the current agreement valid till 2038. Following the committee’s findings, the administration initiated the transition from leasehold status to permanent ownership to provide the institute with long-term stability.Kanad Das, director, Botanical Survey of India, welcomed the move, stating that permanent ownership of the 44.5-acre campus would significantly bolster conservation and research efforts.“Granting ownership rights will provide a major boost to our scientific research and conservation programmes, particularly those focused on endemic and threatened plant species from the Western Ghats and other hotspots,” Das said. He noted that the BSI has been pursuing this matter for months to remove the administrative uncertainties associated with being a leaseholder.The BSI’s Mundhwa campus plays a critical role in ex-situ conservation, housing flora collected from various biodiversity hotspots for scientific study. “Permanent ownership would allow us to expand programmes related to the endangered flora of the Western Ghats with much-needed stability,” Das added.The Botanical Survey of India operates under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, serving as the nodal agency for plant exploration and documentation across India.The move to convert the lease into permanent ownership stems from a major investigation into the illegal sale of govt land in Mundhwa. The Kharge committee investigated the unauthorised transfer of portions of Survey No. 88/1 to 88/26 to Amadea Enterprises LLP, a firm co-owned by Parth Pawar.In its 4,000-page report, which was tabled in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the committee characterised the transfer and registration of the govt land as a “serious irregularity.” The report held several officials from the revenue, stamps, and registration departments responsible for facilitating illegal transactions. To safeguard the land, the committee directed the Pune collector to ensure the BSI receives permanent title to the property.
