The Crossbill News Desk
The surrender of construction rights by a firm linked to a BJP MLA has brought an end, at least for now, to a nearly 15-year-old land dispute involving an 81-year-old man from Mira Road in Maharashtra.
The development came days after the landowner, Asgar Ali Vohra, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a former schoolmate, and sought his intervention in the matter.
Narendra Mehta, the BJP MLA whose construction company was set to begin work on the disputed plot in Bhayander, Thane district, reportedly announced on Tuesday (September 15) that he would give up possession and surrender the construction approval granted for the property. Mehta also withdrew a complaint filed against Vohra.
Vohra had met Modi on September 8 and sought his intervention in the decades-old dispute, besides requesting a CBI investigation. According to The Times of India, Vohra and Modi studied together at B.N. School in Vadnagar, Gujarat.
Vohra told the newspaper that he had purchased approximately 2,810 square metres of land at Navghar in Bhayander East in 1989. He alleged that the property was taken over in 2011 by Swayam Builders and Seven Eleven Constructions, a firm associated with Mehta. Vohra said he had approached several government authorities over the issue for nearly 15 years without securing possession of the land.
The meeting with Modi was subsequently made public by Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, who released photographs and a press note from the meeting and expressed hope that the prime minister would ensure justice for his schoolmate.
The construction company has now formally withdrawn from the project. PTI reported that official documents showed Seven Eleven Construction Private Limited had written to the Assistant Director of Town Planning at the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, surrendering its commencement certificate for the disputed plot.
According to the documents, the company claimed that it had acquired the property from Mervyn Fernandes through a registered deed dated June 13, 2019, and obtained construction permission on April 17, 2026. In a communication to the police commissioner, the company said it was returning the construction permit after the two sides reached a settlement.
The firm also asked the civic authorities to cancel the construction permission and refund the fees deposited for the proposed project. It further sought steps to remove the legal obstacles that had been created for Vohra, effectively clearing the way for the octogenarian to regain control of the property.
The sequence of events has drawn attention because the settlement followed Vohra’s meeting with Modi, although the reports do not establish the specific nature of any intervention by the prime minister beyond the meeting itself.
The development came days after the landowner, Asgar Ali Vohra, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a former schoolmate, and sought his intervention in the matter.
Narendra Mehta, the BJP MLA whose construction company was set to begin work on the disputed plot in Bhayander, Thane district, reportedly announced on Tuesday (September 15) that he would give up possession and surrender the construction approval granted for the property. Mehta also withdrew a complaint filed against Vohra.
Vohra had met Modi on September 8 and sought his intervention in the decades-old dispute, besides requesting a CBI investigation. According to The Times of India, Vohra and Modi studied together at B.N. School in Vadnagar, Gujarat.
Vohra told the newspaper that he had purchased approximately 2,810 square metres of land at Navghar in Bhayander East in 1989. He alleged that the property was taken over in 2011 by Swayam Builders and Seven Eleven Constructions, a firm associated with Mehta. Vohra said he had approached several government authorities over the issue for nearly 15 years without securing possession of the land.
The meeting with Modi was subsequently made public by Maharashtra transport minister Pratap Sarnaik, who released photographs and a press note from the meeting and expressed hope that the prime minister would ensure justice for his schoolmate.
The construction company has now formally withdrawn from the project. PTI reported that official documents showed Seven Eleven Construction Private Limited had written to the Assistant Director of Town Planning at the Mira Bhayander Municipal Corporation, surrendering its commencement certificate for the disputed plot.
According to the documents, the company claimed that it had acquired the property from Mervyn Fernandes through a registered deed dated June 13, 2019, and obtained construction permission on April 17, 2026. In a communication to the police commissioner, the company said it was returning the construction permit after the two sides reached a settlement.
The firm also asked the civic authorities to cancel the construction permission and refund the fees deposited for the proposed project. It further sought steps to remove the legal obstacles that had been created for Vohra, effectively clearing the way for the octogenarian to regain control of the property.
The sequence of events has drawn attention because the settlement followed Vohra’s meeting with Modi, although the reports do not establish the specific nature of any intervention by the prime minister beyond the meeting itself.
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