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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Multi-Crore ‘Land Jihad’ unearthed

Lawyer reclaims grabbed properties, exposes administrative lapses Advocate Sanjeev Deshpande Mumbai: In Bhusaval, a glaring example of what is being termed ‘Land Jihad’ has recently been brought to light, exposing a systematic grab of prime real estate worth hundreds of crores. At the center of this revelation is a hard-fought legal victory that successfully vacated ill-intentioned occupants from a plush property, prompting urgent calls for the administration to remain vigilant against...

Multi-Crore ‘Land Jihad’ unearthed

Lawyer reclaims grabbed properties, exposes administrative lapses Advocate Sanjeev Deshpande Mumbai: In Bhusaval, a glaring example of what is being termed ‘Land Jihad’ has recently been brought to light, exposing a systematic grab of prime real estate worth hundreds of crores. At the center of this revelation is a hard-fought legal victory that successfully vacated ill-intentioned occupants from a plush property, prompting urgent calls for the administration to remain vigilant against fraudulent land acquisitions. The catalyst for uncovering this massive scam was a protracted legal battle fought by the Central Cine Circuit Association (CCCA), an organisation comprising over 800 film distributors across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Seeking a headquarters and guest house for their traveling members, the CCCA purchased a sprawling 5,000-square-foot bungalow in a prime locality in Bhusaval from a senior Parsi individual residing in Mumbai. Although the sale deed was executed in 1993, the notice of ownership change inexplicably failed to reach or was ignored by the local city survey office. This administrative blind spot lay dormant until 2024, when the family of one Afzal Kalu Gawali forcibly entered the premises and took illegal possession of the property. Physical Muscle Lacking the physical muscle to evict the encroachers, the CCCA was forced into an agonising two-year legal marathon spearheaded by Advocate Sanjeev Deshpande. The fight demanded navigating a labyrinth of government offices, from the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) and Bhusaval Sessions Court to the revenue tribunal, the High Court, and even Mantralaya. The process involved digging through decades-old records, exposing forged documents, and pleading with officials to rectify the injustice. The persistence finally paid off when the SDM ruled in favor of the CCCA on April 9, 2026. When the illegal occupants still refused to leave, police intervention was secured to forcibly vacate the premises, allowing CCCA employees to finally re-enter their headquarters on April 16 after a gap of nearly two years, said Sanjay Surana, president of CCCA. Fight Continues For Deshpande, the fight is far from over. During his exhaustive hunt for documents, he uncovered a deeply disturbing and systematic pattern of land grabbing operating in the region. The conmen utilised a calculated modus operandi. They tactfully acquired a power of attorney from the descendants of the original Parsi owners and forged purchase documents. Shockingly, the paperwork claimed that the CCCA bungalow, currently valued at around Rs 5 crore, was purchased by daily wage earners for a mere Rs 6 lakh. Deshpande discovered that this same syndicate had successfully encroached upon other highly valuable plots, including a six-acre cemetery (Aramgah) belonging to the Parsi Anjuman Fund and a significant parcel of land owned by the Masonic Lodge, an international religious institute. In total, the collective value of these illegally grabbed properties is estimated to easily surpass Rs 300 crore. The Masonic Lodge property is back to rightful owners after a battle at the High Court. But, for the Aramgah property, still much needs to be done, he said. This staggering real estate heist points to a severe breakdown in administrative oversight. Deshpande strongly emphasises that if the office of the Sub-Registrar at Bhusaval had conducted even a preliminary inquiry or verified the glaringly disproportionate financial details of these transactions, the fraudulent nature of the sales would have been immediately apparent.

Sources of generation and types of waste

Updated: Oct 21, 2024

Friends, so far, we have learned the basics of waste generated in our houses in general. However, our house is not the only source where all types of waste are generated. There are many other sources of generation of waste related to various human activities occurring at all different types of government and non-government or private establishments.

Commercial Waste Commercial waste refers to waste from commerce or commercial enterprises. With the advancement of modern cities, industries, and automobiles, commercial enterprises routinely generate large amounts of waste. This includes food, disposable medical products, textiles, and more. Garbage and waste from restaurants, hotels, markets, or offices are all commercial waste. Industrial waste and household waste are not included in this category. Paper, food, plastic, glass, tissue, and even toxins are examples of commercial waste. The roadside shop owners in most of the cities and towns in India discard their leftover packaging material comprising mostly plastics and cardboard boxes in front of their shops every night before they close their shops. Next morning, you can see heaps of this ‘dry’ waste in front of every shop along the roads or by-lanes. Schools and colleges are also the generators of commercial waste.


Agricultural Waste

Agricultural waste refers to waste generated due to agricultural activities such as horticulture, raising, maintaining and managing livestock, growing and harvesting the crops and vegetables etc. It includes crop residues like paddy stubble, dried stems and straws as post-harvest residues of variety of crops such as wheat, jowar, bajara, soyabean etc., bagasse from sugarcane, weeds and cattle waste. Leftover residues of synthetic pesticides are the most harmful component of agricultural waste. It not only kills harmful organisms but also kills helpful microorganisms: Pesticides contaminate soil and water and enter our food chain. Similarly, leftover residues of synthetic fertilizers applied to the crops to ensure better yield also become waste after their application.


Industrial Waste

The waste from manufacturing and processing industries such as chemical plants, cement factories, power plants, textile industries, food processing industries, and petroleum industries is known as Industrial Waste. Industrial waste is generally produced in the form of solids, liquids, or gases. But when we talk about industrial waste, it is usually solid. Sources of industrial waste are power plants, metal processing industries, cement factories, steel manufacturing industries, leather product units, food packaging, chemicals, transportation equipment, resins, plastics, and paper. Even water treatment plants produce industrial waste. It also includes harmful chemicals, plastics, demolition materials, fly ash from thermal power plants, packaging and other hazardous materials. Industrial sludge contains toxic compounds such as heavy metals that are harmful to the environment.

Mining waste

Waste is generated at several stages of the mining process and throughout the life of a mine, from exploration (drilling) to mine closure. Several types of waste are generated in a mine. This includes a variety of materials like tailings, mining water, waste rock, sludge, geosynthetics etc.

(The writer is an environment specialist. Views personal)

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