Nagpur: The Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Park Bachao Kriti Samiti has launched an indefinite agitation from October 2 to protect 130 acres of land reserved for the construction of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Park at Mouza Nara, Nagpur.
In a letter addressed to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde through the District Collector, the Samiti stated that under the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) plan, 52.63 hectares of land in Mouza Nara have been reserved for the N-166 park since 1996 for the construction of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Park.
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Friday 22 Nov. 2024
The Samiti said it has been striving since 2001 to establish the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Park at Mouza Nara. However, due to the corrupt practices of NIT officials and trustees, the park has not been constructed to date. The NIT has always played a dual role. NIT officials claim they lack the funds to build the park, but when landowners request Transferable Development Rights (TDR) from NIT, they are denied and subjected to delays.
The letter further mentioned that in 2003, NIT invited tenders on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis, where no NIT funds were required. At the time, three individuals had expressed interest in building the park without any financial investment from NIT. However, in 2008, some trustees opposed the construction of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Park for apparent reasons. If NIT officials had been sincere, they could have obtained approval from the Maharashtra Government even after the proposal was rejected by the board meeting of the trustees. Yet, no efforts were made in this regard, according to the Samiti.
After much struggle, in 2024, the NIT Chairman was repeatedly given memorandums to issue tenders. Finally, after much difficulty, tenders were invited on a BOT basis in March and June 2024. However, the tender deliberately set the cost at Rs 50,000 and the Earnest Money Deposit (EMD) at Rs 2 crore, making it difficult for any bidder to participate. The intention, according to the Samiti, was to hand over the land to builders, enabling NIT officials to “earn crores” from the deal. The Samiti has demanded a CID investigation into this matter.
The letter further urged that the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar National Park, reserved under the Nagpur Improvement Plan in Mouza Nara, should be built using additional funds deposited with the Social Welfare Department or with assistance from the Urban Development Department.
The Samiti also alleged that the police blocked their protest at Indora Chowk to suppress the agitation of the Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Park Bachao Samiti.
The letter was signed by Chandu Patil, Sunil Lanjewar, Advocate Hansraj Bhange, Gunwant Somkunwar, Rakesh Nikose, Gautam Patil, Pushpa Ghodke, Yamuna Ramteke, Rekha Khobragade, Ajay Khobragade, Bhola Shende, Murli Meshram, Santosh Lonare, Pandurang Jagtap, and Varsha Shamkule.
