mumbai

Updated: Jun 08, 2017 01:21 IST

The Shiv Sena-led civic body’s proposal to return to a builder an 8,209 square metre plot reserved for a hospital kicked up controversy on Wednesday.

The Sena administration tabled a proposal to return the Bhandup plot to a builder after a Bombay high court order of 2014. But BJP corporators walked out of the civic improvements committee meeting, claiming a nexus between the Sena and the builder. The BJP corporators wanted the proposal to be withdrawn, but Sena chairman Anant Nar insisted that doing so would amount to contempt of court by the civic body.

Mulund corporator and BJP group leader Manoj Kotak said the plot is worth Rs500 crore.

According to the proposal, the BMC has to handover the plot to the builder, in return for the an amenity space of 18,765 square metres it got received from the builder. The HC had said the builder was entitled to the compensation.

But BJP corporators insisted the land had been reserved to build a super-speciality hospital, but the BMC was not serious about this. They said the eastern suburbs was in need of a hospital, and that the BMC should have fought harder to retain the land, perhaps approached the Supreme Court instead of agreeing to hand over the plot.

Ujjwala Modak, BJP corporator and improvements committee member said, “There should be an inquiry into the law department, which did not represent the BMC’s side appropriately. The eastern suburbs needs a civic hospital and we cannot just let go of this land. We made it very clear to Sena the proposal needs to be withdrawn or we will object to it.”