– Multi-storeyed hospital building approved on residential plot; fictitious plot area & FSI allotted to builder
– Vikas Thakre demands immediate action against concerned NMC engineers and Administrator
– Series of irregularities and violations committed despite repeated complaints by an Army Officer
Nagpur :- A major scam has come to light in Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) Town Planning Department, where multi-storeyed commercial and hospital building has been sanctioned on a nazul plot leased for residential purposes. NMC engineers also inflated plot area and manipulated FSI to benefit a builder. Despite concrete evidence, including a legal opinion, Administrator Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhari has continued to shield the concerned engineers — clearly indicating his nexus with them, as alleged by Vikas Thakre, MLA from West Nagpur and President of Nagpur City (District) Congress Committee.
List of Major Irregularities and Violations:
1) Nazul Department of Collector’s Office leased 1,622.9 sq.mt nazul plot (No. 26/1) at Dhantoli to Sumbh family for their own residential purpose. Renowned Vidarbha cricketer Ashok Bhagwat entered into an agreement to sell for 789 sq.mt out of total 1,622.9 sq.mt plot area with Sumbh family. He constructed a residential flat scheme on his portion of 789 sq.mt, located on eastern side of the plot in front of Spandan Hospital in 1988. However, engineers from NMC’s Town Planning Department sanctioned a building plan for G+8-storeyed hospital and commercial complex (height 39.52 meter) on western side of the same plot—towards Wardha Road—to builder Sanjeev Sharma, Power of Attorney holder of Sumbh family, in 2021, thereby constituting a major scam. NMC sought a legal opinion from Senior Counsel S. K. Mishra, who categorically stated that the sanctioning of a commercial and hospital building was in violation of lease conditions, as nazul plot had been leased solely for residential use by Sumbh family, and therefore could not be justified.
2) NMC engineers sanctioned building plan by considering plot area of 1,761.89 sq.mt, whereas lease deed clearly specifies actual area as 1,622.9 sq.mt. Thus, engineers inflated plot area by 138.99 sq.mt (1,495.53 sq.ft.) and subsequently manipulated FSI to provide additional benefits to the builder. This irregularity has also been highlighted in the legal opinion.
3) A Compromise Decree was passed on 07-11-2001 in Special Civil Suit No. 219/1996, making joint consent from both parties (Sumbh and Bhagwat) mandatory for any building plan sanction. Court notices were also issued to NMC for joint submission of the building plan. However, NMC engineers failed to comply and approved building plan based solely on an application submitted by builder, in violation of decree and to benefit the builder in several ways.
4) In 2019, Sumbh family sub divided the plot into two parts giving false information to Collector’s office that they were constructing a residential building on their part of the plot, even though this family got sanctioned first building plan from NMC for a hospital and commercial use in 2016. The sub-division of plot was carried out without Bhagwat’s consent.
5) Despite sub-division of the plot in 2019, NMC engineers sanctioned a revised building plan in 2021, increasing height and number of floors on united plot instead of on the portion belonging to Sumbh family. Thus, they granted additional FSI and relaxations in side and rear margins to the builder in an illegal manner.
6) Lt Col Anant Bhagwat, son of Ashok Bhagwat, has filed large number of complaints since 2014. However, NMC engineers continued to commit irregularities and violations in favour of builder and even issued a Part Occupancy Certificate for eight floors in 2023, taking undue advantage of his prolonged absence from Nagpur due to official duty commitments.
7) Administrator Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhari assumed charge in NMC in July 2023. He received several complaints from Lt Col Anant Bhagwat and subsequently sought a legal opinion from Senior Counsel S.K. Mishra in June 2025. The legal opinion clearly established multiple irregularities and violations and categorically advised against issuing Occupancy Certificate. Despite this, Dr. Chaudhari failed to initiate any decisive action against concerned engineers, building or builder. Only, Deputy Director of Town Planning sent letter to 13 engineers, merely seeking their explanation.
Demand:
Vikas Thakre, MLA from West Nagpur and President of Nagpur City (District) Congress Committee, strongly condemned the scam and demanded that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Guardian Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule take immediate and stringent action against 13 engineers and Administrator Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhari.
“This is yet another example of deep-rooted corruption in NMC under Administrator’s rule. In an earlier press conference, I had exposed how these officials have engaged dalals and are running rackets to siphon off huge amounts of public money. What makes this case even more disgraceful is that the complainant is an Army Officer serving the nation — yet his repeated pleas have been ignored by Administrator throughout his 27-month tenure,” said Thakre.
He further stated, “If an Army Officer cannot get justice, what must be the plight of common man? Chief Minister must order strict action, including suspension of all engineers involved, disciplinary proceedings against Administrator Dr. Abhijeet Chaudhari, and cancellation of illegal building plan and occupancy certificate. Moreover, Nazul Department should immediately take back possession of plot and structure for violation of lease conditions.”
Thakre also said that he submitted letters with Fadnavis and Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule demanding an immediate high-level inquiry into all decisions, sanctions, and works executed in the NMC over the past 27 months during the tenure of current Administrator Dr Abhijeet Chaudhari. He further sought exemplary punitive action to ensure that such blatant misuse of authority is never repeated in the future.