Lease violations high in suburbs

MUMBAI: A review by the collector's office has found violations on a majority of plots allotted on lease in the suburbs. On plots where the lease has run out, violations have been detected in about 95% of the cases.The violations include unauthorized construction, overconsumption of FSI, illegal transfer of lease to third party, and change in use of the plot. Occupants of such plots include celebrities, big business houses, hospitals, high-profile residential societies, trusts and government agencies. The suburban collector's office has been scrutinizing records of 129 properties where the lease has expired.The review found illegal transfer and unauthorized construction were rampant on leasehold plots in Bandra Bandstand. At least 48 of the 129 plots are in the area.Though the breaches were reported years ago, often there was no action.A revised lease land policy of the government provides occupants the option of either securing occupancy rights by paying a one-time premium or renewing the lease for 30 years by paying revised lease rents. Before an occupant exercises either option, the policy necessitates a scrutiny by the collector for breaches. "The policy requires the collector to take action in case of breach of lease conditions," collector (suburbs) Sanjay Deshmukh said.The nature of the violation would determine the action against the leaseholder, said officials.A hefty fine might be levied for breaches which can be regularized. Deshmukh said occupants must apply under one of the options by the end of the month to continue holding on to plots.