Adding to the increasing number of land scams in Gujarat, a five-decade-old government land (Shree Sarkar) was illegally sold to a family member of Valsad BJP leader Harshad Kataria and structures worth over ₹4 crore constructed on it later.

It has now been revealed that the lands surrounding the controversial land (survey no 368) also belong to Kataria and his family members.

The lands with survey numbers 366, 365, 369, 367, 363, 391, and 393, also belong to Kataria and family, measuring a total area of 17 bigha.

The land in question

Government land in Valsad, Gujarat, originally owned by Thakor Modi, was sold to a Mumbai-based firm in 1969, which was illegal according to the Gujarat Tenancy and Agricultural Land Act, 1948.

The land was labelled as government property in 1979 and remained so until 2013.

Despite court orders, the land was transferred to Harshad Kataria, the heir of the original owner, by the Valsad district authorities in 2013. Kataria then sold the land to Vimlaben Bhanushali, his mother-in-law, in 2015. Bhanushali constructed structures worth over ₹4 crore on the land.

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Valsad land scam: Disputed Gujarat govt land sold to BJP leader’s family member