MAHABALESHWAR, Nov 25: A committee appointed by the Bombay High Court under the Divisional Commissioner of Pune to submit a report on illegal constructions in Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani region, has firmly recommended that most of the land held with Mahabaleshwar municipal limits on decades-old leases be resumed by the government.

The committee submitted that only five times the plinth size that existed in 1967 be retained with the original lease holder and the rest resumed by the State government to be handed over to the Forest Department by declaring it a ``no development zone''. In addition, no commercial activity should henceforth be permitted in the area to be retained by the lessee, the committee recommended.

The committee under commissioner Arun Bhatia with officials and experts was appointed by the High Court in response to a writ petition filed by the Bombay Environmental Action Group (BEAG) seeking judicial intervention in preventing the environmental degradation of the hill station owing to illegal constructions and deforestation in the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani region.

According to the report, there are 113 leasehold properties in Mahabaleshwar municipal limits covering 234 hectares of mostly wooded land. The largest plot size is 16 hectares (40 acres) and the average plot size is about four hectares (10 acres).

The committee recommended that by retaining only five per cent of the plinth area, an area as large as 189 hectares be declared as surplus and be taken back by the government. ``The vast area occupied by these leasehold properties, especially in the context of the limited area available in the hill station, would indicate that the destiny of this hill station is closely linked to the future of the leasehold properties,'' states the report.

``There are a total of 113 properties leased by the government to individuals during the colonial era. It is not clear what services were rendered to the nation by the lease holders for receiving these properties.''

The committee pointed out that under the present development control rules prevailing in Mahabaleshwar and the lease conditions allow commercial activity in these plots. Permissions for construction of hotels have been given in these properties. No fees have been levied for this change of use as there is no provision for this in the terms and conditions of the lease. In addition, 37 of the 113 properties covering an area of 90.76 hectares have ``apparently been illegally transferred''. Apart from individuals, many corporate houses and public sector undertakings appear in the list to whom the leasehold properties in Mahabaleshwar have been transferred ``apparently illegally''.

These include, Bharat Petroleum, ICI India, ACC, Green Land Bank, Zuari Agro Chemicals, Glazo India, Indian Oil Corporation, Bank of India, Mafatlal and Company and Goodlas Nerolac.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.