Satara (Maharashtra): The Rs 250-crore property of the Nizam of Hyderabad in Mahabaleshwar was sealed by the District Collector here on Sunday following a dispute over it. The 15-acre 15-gunta plot and a luxurious Woodland bungalow was facing ownership issues for a long time now. To put an end to the dispute, the Maharashtra government vacated the property and sealed it till further orders.
In a massive drive on Sunday, the main bungalow and the surrounding staff quarters were taken over by the administration. Mahabaleshwar tehsildar Sushma Choudhary Patil supervised the drive. Former mayor Swapnali Shinde and her husband Kumar Shinde have been living in the staff quarters adjacent to the main bungalow for many years. Following the government action, they were also asked to vacate the building by Saturday.
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The property dates back to the British era, wherein it was given on lease to Parsi lawyers. After Independence in 1952, the plot was handed over to Nawab Mir Osman Alli Khan, the Nizam of Hyderabad. As he had income tax arrears to the tune of Rs 59 lakh 47 thousand, it was recorded against the property. The property was prohibited from being sold, mortgaged or dealt with in any financial manner until the recovery of the said amount. The tax issues were resolved later.
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Years later, Nawab Mir Barkat Alli Khan Bahadur was named the successor of the Nizam. In the year 2003, as per the order of the then District Collector, the property was brought under the control of the government by excluding the names of all the lessees. However, the order was withdrawn and the situation was restored in the year 2005.
In 2016, the property was transferred in the name of Dilip Thakkar. Since then there have been disputes between Thakkar and Nizam's successor over the ownership of the property. Taking into cognisance the altercation on December 1, Satara collector Ruchesh Jayvanshi ordered to seize the Woodland property till further notice.
