TMC MP Yusuf Pathan accused of land encroachment in Vadodara
The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, has issued a notice to Yusuf Pathan, a former Indian cricketer and newly-elected Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP. The notice accuses Pathan of encroaching on land claimed by the civic body. Although the notice was delivered to Pathan on June 6, VMC's standing committee chairman, Shital Mistry, spoke about it during a media briefing on Thursday, after it was highlighted by BJP corporator Vijay Pawar.
Alleged encroachment details revealed by former BJP corporator
Pathan, who recently won the Lok Sabha elections from the Baharampur constituency, is accused of encroaching on the land by erecting a compound wall. Pawar stated that despite the VMC's proposal to sell the plot to Pathan being rejected by the state government in 2012, Pathan allegedly encroached on it. "A plot in the Tanadalja area under TP 22 is a residential plot owned by VMC," Pawar informed reporters.
Pathan's request for land purchase denied in 2012
In 2012, Pathan had requested to purchase the plot from the VMC as his house under construction was adjacent to it. He offered nearly ₹57,000 per square metre for the land. The proposal was cleared by the VMC and passed in their general board meeting, but the state government did not give its approval. Despite this rejection, Pawar discovered that Pathan had constructed a compound wall around the plot.
VMC chairman confirms notice issued to Pathan
Mistry confirmed that Pathan had been served a notice regarding the alleged encroachment. "Recently, we received some representations about him constructing a compound wall. Thus, on June 6, we served a notice to Pathan and asked him to remove all the encroachments," Mistry stated. He added that the VMC will wait for a couple of weeks before deciding on further action, asserting that the land belongs to the corporation and they will claim it back.
