Promoter of Mumbai's Dixit Realties arrested in second cheating case

Promoter of Mumbai's Dixit Realties arrested in second cheating case

MUMBAI: The EOW on Tuesday arrested builder Shirish Dixit of Dixit Realties in another cheating case filed by a group of lawyers.

Last week, Dixit was arrested for allegedly cheating 21 tenants of a Wadala building. Dixit had entered into an agreement with the tenants in 2008 and promised to complete the redevelopment work in 34 months.

In 2015, the tenants learnt that he had mortgaged the property to Dhiren Patel of Sanghoi Group and availed a Rs 10-crore loan. In the new case, police said Dixit and other directors of his firm, under pretext of redeveloping Janki Nivas in Matunga, allegedly lured six advocates to invest over Rs 13 crore in his project, but sold it to Vijay Manjrekar.

But Dixit’s advocate Mohan Tekavde said he is already in police custody. “This is being done by some business competitors.” —S Ahmed Ali

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Bombay HC halts construction by Hiranandani Developers in Powai

Social activists fighting land grab by builders have a reason to cheer. The Bombay High Court has restrained Mumbai-based Hiranandani Developers from carrying out further construction at a township it is developing in suburban Powai until it provides flats for the economically weaker sections of society. The court also put on hold the sale of the flats till further orders. 

The land was given on lease to Hiranandani in 1985 to build houses for poor. But in gross violation of all terms and conditions it built sky scrapers, housing societies and malls for the rich and the affluent. 

Reacting to the decision, the social activist says, “it is a victory for the struggles of the working classes of Mumbai who live in slums, bastis and chawls. They face eviction and are constantly termed as encroachers.” The interim judgment of the high court vindicates our stand and once again proves criminal nexus between builders, politicians and bureaucracy. We welcome the directions of the court and hope the land will be returned to the original owners or used for the urban poor, she adds. 

The high court bench comprising justice Mohit C Shah and Roshan Dalvi also accepted the charge of criminal intent and illegality in land allotment to Hiranandani Developers and building of Hiranandani Gardens. It said the petitioners are free to initiate criminal proceedings against the developers, state government and any other statutory authorities.

The court ordered the developers to construct 3,000 flats–1,500 flats of 400 square feet and 1,500 of 800 square feet – to be handed over to the state government. The government will then allot these to the lower income group and middle income group people at the rate of Rs 135 per square feet, the rate prevalent in 1985. The court accepted the contention that huge losses have been incurred by the government due to violations by Hiranandani Developers but didn't pass any judgement on that since there is a separate arbitration case ongoing in the Bombay High Court between the state and the developer. 

While posting the case for final hearing, the court directed Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, state government, developers and petitioners to jointly prepare diagrams showing the extent to which the land has been used and how much remains to be used.

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CBI chargesheets IRB chief, 17 others for cheating bidv - IRB Infrastructure

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against Virendra Mhaiskar, chairman and managing director of IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited, and 17 others for criminal conspiracy and attempting to cheat the state by grabbing massive tracts of government land at village Pimpaloli along the Pune-Mumbai expressway for a proposed integrated township project.

The case was initiated in 2009 by RTI activist Satish Shetty, who was murdered in January 2010. The then sub-registrars of Lonavla and Maval talukas in Pune district and a lawyer are among the accused named in the chargesheet, which was filed in the court of special judge (CBI) A K Patil here. Mhaiskar and 11 others later appeared before the court, which granted them bail. The court also allowed Mhaiskar to travel abroad on conditions.

IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited is the holding company of the IRB Group. Its subsidiary, Ideal Road Builders Private Limited, was given the contract to maintain the expressway from August 2004 to 2019. Aryan Infrastructure Investments Private Limited is the other IRB subsidiary and real estate development arm which was involved in the purchase of land between 2007 and 2010. The sale deeds for some of these lands were later scrapped through a cancellation deed.

For the township project, the IRB Group had purchased 559 acres land at Pimpaloli from January 17, 2007 to June 23, 2010 and another 794.76 acres in village Taje from January 17, 2007 to April 18, 2011, the chargesheet stated. Most of these lands had already been acquired in the name of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which built the expressway, between 1995 and 2000, it added.

IRB Infrastructure Developers Limited, in a disclosure to the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange on Wednesday, which was signed by Mhaiskar, stated, “The company and its officials have been fully cooperating with the authorities during the course of the investigation and have provided all information and documents upon request.”

The disclosure further read, “We deny all allegations made against Mhasikar, Gadgil and the company in this matter and will seek appropriate remedies under the law.” Lawyer Rohit Takavane, who appeared for two of the accused who were arrested earlier in the case by the Lonavla city police and later released on bail by the Vadgaon Maval court, said, “The CBI court allowed our plea to continue the bail granted to the two accused on the same terms as laid down by the magistrate.”

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Builder of India's tallest residential building fined Rs 162 crore for violations

The controversial project has been embroiled in litigation for the past four years after NGO Janhit Manch dragged the developer, Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd (SRUIL), to court for large-scale violations.

The developer of Palais Royale, India’s tallest residential building (294 m), will have to pay the BMC Rs 162 crore as premium and penalties for constructing a 15-storey public parking tower at Worli Naka without permissions. Municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta last week ordered the levy after the Bombay high court directed the commissioner to decide its fate following a petition challenging its legality.

The controversial project has been embroiled in litigation for the past four years after NGO Janhit Manch dragged the developer, Shree Ram Urban Infrastructure Ltd (SRUIL), to court for large-scale violations. The NGO said the public parking tower is illegal.

Under the state government’s cross-subsidy policy, the developer received permission to build a 15-storey parking tower in 2010, which it has to hand over free of cost to the BMC for public parking. In return, the developer will receive additional construction rights in the form of incentive floor space index (FSI) for the residential tower named Palais Royale.

However in 2011, the BMC changed its policy, restricting the height of public parking lots up to four floors. By then, SRUIL had procured construction permission only up to the plinth level. However, it continued to build the entire parking tower before Janhit Manch challenged the legality on the grounds that sanction was only till the plinth level. The municipal corporation too directed the developer to build the parking tower according to the new policy (four floors).

As much as 74% of the total built-up area (5.88 lakh sq ft) of the skyscraper has been shown as fire refuge area. This was sanctioned by the then chief fire officer when the building plans were approved about eight years ago. Mehta wants the fire refuge area reduced to around 30%; Mehta's predecessor Sitaram Kunte had ordered that they be restricted to just 4% of the built-up area. Mehta also ordered that large refuge areas outside each apartment in the 56-storey tower be punctured or blocked. This will prevent flat owners from illegally amalgamating the areas -adjoining the bedroom and drawing room --to the apartments.

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OBEROI Realty accused of fraud worth RS 142.56 CRORE

Well known developer Vikas Oberoi has landed in trouble after a resident of one of his own projects lodged an FIR against him. He has accused the head of the Oberoi Realty of duping flat owners by delivering smaller flats than what was promised. Meghwadi police in Jogeshwari has filed the case and is investigating the matter. 

The case has been filed by Mohit Bhardwaj, a resident of Oberoi Splendour, a luxury project on Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road. The project was completed a couple of years ago. Bhardwaj claimed that he represented several other flat owners, who have been fighting against the developer for the last couple of years. 

Bhardwaj complained that not only the size of the flats was smaller, but the height of the ceiling was also lesser than what was promised, among other things. "We were promised amenities such as club house, swimming pool, squash court, spa, party hall, jogging park, tennis court, amphitheatre, camping site, plaza, landscaped garden, bamboo garden, skating rink, gazebo, and so on. A rosy picture was presented," said Bhardwaj. 

He claimed that as the project neared completion, however, the buyers found out that the number of flats on each floor was much higher. "In place of the camping site and amphitheatre, the developers constructed one more building under the name Oberoi Grande," stated the complaint. In all, around 400 more apartments were added in Splendour and Grande. "The developers have cheated the flat buyers to the tune of Rs 142.56 crore," stated the complaint. 

The residents then approached the Magistrate's court, which ordered that an FIR be filed against Oberoi. 

Meanwhile, Oberoi Realty spokesperson said, "This FIR is absolutely bizarre. All allegations are factually incorrect. We have fulfilled all our legal obligations. In fact, the complainant has got no relief till date from any of the legal forums that he has approached. Oberoi Realty is a law-abiding corporate and adheres to the highest principles of corporate governance and ethical business practices. We are confident of proving the same in any court of law."

Know more about Oberoi Realty:

• Oberoi Realty Q1 net down 16% to Rs 91 crore
• BGR Energy, Oberoi Realty deny scam role

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