Thread by @smitadeshmukh

As the cops surround #ED's #Mumbai office, those shedding crocodile tears for #SanjayRaut must make a small attempt to understand the #PatraChawl scam. It is a classic case in which politicians and builders destroy the lives of poor residents to make millions. A thread

Siddharth Nagar, popularly known as Patra Chawl, is located in the northern Mumbai suburb of Goregaon. It had a total of 672 houses, spread over an area of 47 acres. In 2008, the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) took up the redevelopment project.

MHADA gave the contract to Guru Ashish Construction Private Limited (GACPL) to rehabilitate 672 tenants and to redevelop the locality. A tripartite agreement was signed between GACPL, the tenants’ society and MHADA for the redevelopment of #PatraChawl.

The residents are waiting for 14 years to get their homes.
According to the tripartite agreement, GACPL was to provide flats to 672 tenants of #PatraChawl, develop flats for MHADA, and sell the remaining area to private developers.

#ED claims that Pravin Raut, a close associate of #SanjayRaut and other directors of Guru Ashish Constructions misled MHADA, and sold the FSI to 9 private developers for Rs 901.79 crore, without constructing either the rehab portion for 672 displaced tenants, or MHADA portion.

Meanwhile, GACPL launched a project Meadows, and took the booking amount of around Rs 138 crore from flat buyers. The ED has alleged that the total proceeds of the crime generated by Guru Ashish Constructions through these “illegal activities” amount to Rs 1,039.79 crore.

#ED stated that Pravin Raut received Rs 100 crore from real estate company HDIL, and “diverted” it to various accounts of “his close associates, family member, his business entities”, including the family of #SanjayRaut

Apart from a flat in #Dadar,
around 8-12 plots of land were purchased at #Alibaug in the name of Varsha Raut, Swapna Patkar.
The recent viral video had Raut abusing Swapna Patkar, wife of his aide Sujit Patkar, who was raided by #ED.
Pravin Raut is in judicial custody.

Politicians will be in jail, and their aides may become approvers, but what happens to the poor 672 tenants who are on the street? #MHADA must help and give them rightful houses.
This case is exactly the reason no one trusts developers in #Mumbai
Sigh.

#SanjayRaut is the editor of a Marathi broadsheet Saamna.
Imagine an editor accused of over Rs 1000 crore scam.
And this is just one project.
A shameful chapter in Marathi media history. You guys promoted this man daily while refusing to see the plight of poor tenants.