Navi Mumbai Housing Fraud Probe: Committee to Investigate Alleged Misconduct

A high-profile committee, spearheaded by an official of the Additional Chief Secretary rank, has been convened to scrutinize alleged housing fraud in Navi Mumbai, as announced by Minister Uday Samant on Wednesday.

In the legislative council, Samant highlighted the investigation's goal of examining accusations that norms were circumvented to construct affordable housing. The Industries Minister has been authorized to handle questioning during the state legislature's Budget session in place of Deputy Chief Minister and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde.

The inquiry will particularly focus on CIDCO officials who are suspected of improperly granting building permissions for a housing scheme in Nerul, which should have been authorized by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Allegations include builders bypassing a 20 percent reserved quota for affordable housing in residential projects, leading to commercial sales at steep prices instead.