Kirit Somaiya alleges Bangladeshi occupation of 110 MHADA flats in Antop Hill

Mumbai: BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya has alleged a scam in the MHADA flats allotted in the Antop Hill area of Mumbai. According to Somaiya, 110 flats meant for the Low Income Group (LIG) and Economically Weaker Section (EWS) have been taken over by Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators.

MHADA holds a lottery for homes every year so that ordinary Mumbaikars can get a home at a low price. Depending on the category, the lottery goes to needy people who are waiting for a home. Somaiya says this did not happen in the Antop Hill case.

Somaiya said applications for these flats were made in the names of Hindus. He alleged that the Power of Attorney holders, who are also the actual beneficiaries of the flats, are Bangladeshi Muslim infiltrators. He said he has filed a complaint with evidence with MHADA and the minister concerned, seeking an inquiry and action.

Somaiya has also given some examples. He named the original flat holder and the person now living in the flat. In his list, against original holder Avinash Ravidhone is Mansuri Junaid Mohammad, against Ramesh Ghatal is Shakeel Ahmed Siddiqui, against Shyam Rautekar is Nasreen Ramzan Shaikh, and against Manoj Khambe is Munira Rizwan. Against Shyam Gaikwad is Rizwan Mohammad Hussain, against Nirmala Barve is Sajid Ali Kadir Abdul Bate, against Vinayak Kumbhar is Muzammil Shaikh, and against Devidas Mane is Ansari Hafizur. Against Kanhaiyaprasad is Mohammad Jahangir Shaikh, against Indubai Pawar is Mohammad Siddiqui Shaikh, and against Balu Kadu is Khan Saddam Hussain.

According to Somaiya, more than 50 residents of MHADA's LIG and EWS flats at Nura Bazar came to meet him at his office in Neelam Nagar, Mulund (East). Somaiya said the people described several problems, including encroachment, infiltration, "land jihad", benami transactions and hooliganism. He said people are deeply troubled by all this and MHADA should investigate immediately.

Somaiya has also written to Minister of State for Housing Pankaj Bhoir. In the letter he wrote that he was angered to hear what had been done to this project, meant for the people of Maharashtra, through the collusion of corrupt MHADA officials, agents, Bangladeshi infiltrators and Muslims. Somaiya also said he will visit the site to inspect it at 4 pm on Saturday, November 14.