Relief for Vora in Bhayandar Land Dispute

Asgar Ali Vora, an 81 year old former schoolmate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has received relief in a long running land dispute in Maharashtra’s Mira Bhayandar. Vora met PM Modi on September 8 and sought his intervention in the matter. Vora, who studied with Modi at BN School in Vadnagar, Gujarat, said he had purchased around 2,810 square metres of land in Navghar, Bhayandar East, through a registered agreement in 1989. He alleged that forged documents were created in 2011 and that the property was divided into two portions without his knowledge. According to Vora, one portion was shown as being linked to Swayam Builders and the other to Seven Eleven Constructions, associated with BJP MLA Narendra Mehta.

Following Vora’s meeting with PM Modi, senior Maharashtra government officials took up the matter. A meeting chaired by Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary Shrikar Pardeshi was held at the state secretariat, with Vora, Narendra Mehta, Mira Bhayandar Municipal Commissioner Radha Vinod Sharma and Town Planner Purushottam Shinde in attendance. During the meeting, Mehta submitted a letter to the Town Planning Department stating that he was relinquishing possession of the disputed land and returning the construction permission granted for the plot. He also said he was withdrawing his earlier police complaint against Vora following a settlement between the two sides.