A case of duty evasion has been registered against the businessman, who has been accused of cheating Punjab National Bank (PNB) to the tune of Rs 13,500 crore. A case of duty evasion has been registered against the businessman, who has been accused of cheating Punjab National Bank (PNB) to the tune of Rs 13,500 crore. ENVIRONMENT MINISTER Ramdas Kadam on Tuesday instructed the collector of Raigad district to demolish an illegal bungalow in Alibaug owned by fugitive businessman Nirav Modi, an accused in the PNB fraud scam. The direction was given at a review meeting chaired by Kadam to discuss illegal bungalows in Raigad. “In all, there are 121 illegal bungalows in Alibaug and 151 illegal bungalows in Murud, both in Raigad district. Some of these bungalows belong to film stars and industrialists. Today, I have asked the collector of Raigad to demolish the illegal bungalow of Nirav Modi, who has looted India and fled,” Kadam told mediapersons after the review meeting. Officials from the district collector’s office said Modi’s bungalow is in Kihim village, while his uncle Mehul Choksi — also an accused in the PNB scam — owns an unauthorised bungalow in Awas village, both in Alibaug. Out of the 121 illegal bungalows in Alibaug, there is a court stay on any action against 101 bungalows. And of the 151 illegal bungalows in Murud, there is a stay on action in the case of 61 bungalows. Choksi’s bungalow is among those that have a court stay on action. “The illegalities in these bungalows include violations of the Coastal Regulation Zone norms and unauthorised constructions. So, we had issued notices under the provisions of Maharashtra Region Town Planning Act and the Environment Protection Act. Some of them have got a stay from the high court and district courts,” said an official. Kadam said that the government has now transferred these cases to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and would request the district courts and the high court to vacate their stay orders. “Attempts will be made to vacate the court stay orders within 15 days. The police will conduct investigation and document verification in a month. All the cases in NGT are likely to be cleared in next two to three months,” he added. Kadam further clarified that local residents who built illegal bungalows would be exempted from the demolition action. “There are 60 bungalows in Alibaug and 50 in Murud built by locals, which have illegalities. They are exempted from the demolition action as per the CRZ norms.” Last week, the Bombay High Court had questioned the inaction by the Raigad district collector of over Nirav Modi’s illegal bungalow, while hearing a petition filed by Surendra Dhavale on illegal bungalows in Raigad. The bench had also said it would direct the state government to initiate an inquiry into the issue. When contacted, Raigad Collector Vijay Suryawanshi confirmed that Kadam has ordered the demolition of Modi’s illegal bungalow. “We are writing to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which has attached the bungalow, to allow us to carry out demolition work. Besides, we are seeking legal opinion on whether we can demolish a bungalow that has been attached by the ED,” he said. Start your day the best way with the Express Morning Briefing For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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