PUNE: A district-wide survey of 2,161 govt land parcels on long lease in Pune district has unearthed 356 violations, prompting the administration to initiate hearings and recovery action, district collector Jitendra Dudi told TOI on Thursday.The move follows recommendations of the Vikas Kharge-led inquiry committee, which has called for restoration of illegally transferred or misused govt land within six months.and hearings were nearing completion. “The final action will be taken against the breach of conditions where some might stand to lose land while others will have to pay a penalty for regularising the land parcels,” he told TOI.The inquiry committee headed by additional chief secretary Vikas Kharge submitted its report to the state govt after probing irregularities in govt land transactions, including the controversial Mundhwa and Tathawade cases. The report was tabled in the assembly by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule and later uploaded on the govt website.In its recommendations, the committee stated that if violations are found in govt land leases or illegal transfers are detected, the land should be restored to govt within six months. It also recommended that planning authorities conduct a special campaign to inspect govt land allotted to institutions, complete legal procedures related to land use in development plans and publish details on official websites to ensure transparency.The panel further recommended dismissal of registrars and responsible officials from service if illegal transfer of govt land is found to have been registered in the name of private persons without court orders.It also stressed that any pending claims related to 7/12 extracts or property lists at the revenue minister’s level must be communicated to district and taluka officials and implemented immediately after orders, ensuring there is no stay from the high court.Officials said the verification drive gained momentum after irregularities surfaced in the Mundhwa land case leased to the Botanical Survey of India and the Tathwade case, where a ₹750-crore govt plot was allegedly sold illegally for ₹33 crore. Following these cases, the district administration ordered a comprehensive verification of all govt land leases across Pune district.
