Archive · 7 Aug 2026
NCP (SP) Demands White Paper on 193-Acre Thane Land Scam
A political party in India called the NCP (SP) is upset with the Maharashtra government.
The party thinks the government protected forest land in one case but not in another.
Near a big forest park called Sanjay Gandhi National Park, the government declared 1,053 acres of land as protected forest.
That means builders cannot put concrete buildings there.
But for another nearby piece of land of 193 acres, the party says the government did not fight hard enough.
Builders may have gotten a court ruling in their favour after a very long 50-year fight.
The NCP (SP) wants the government to explain its decision in a public report called a white paper.
They are also asking the Supreme Court, the highest court in India, to look at the case.
The party wants to protect the green forests in Thane from private developers.
NCP (SP) Thane District President Manoj Pradhan demanded an official white paper from the Revenue and Forest Departments on an alleged 193-acre TDR land scam in Thane.
The party welcomed the government's decision to register 1,053 acres of Sanjay Gandhi National Park land as Reserved Forest, crediting Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule.
The party questioned why the government was protective over the 1,053-acre parcel but passive on an identical 193-acre parcel involving the same private developers.
Pradhan alleged developers obtained a favourable Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal ruling after a 50-year dispute and that a weak Forest Department stance at the Bombay High Court cost government oversight.
The party urged aggressive legal defence of the 1,053-acre decision and confirmed it has moved the Supreme Court over the 193-acre land matter.
- Who
- NCP (SP) Thane District President Manoj Pradhan, representing the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), targeting the Maharashtra State Government.
- What
- A demand for an official white paper from the Revenue and Forest Departments over an alleged 193-acre TDR land scam, questioning the government's contrasting handling of two similar forest land disputes near Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
- When
- The date is not specified in the article; the statements were made at a press conference in Thane.
- Where
- Thane, Maharashtra, India, involving forest land connected to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
- Why
- The party alleged the government proactively protected a 1,053-acre SGNP parcel but failed to contest rulings on an identical 193-acre parcel involving the same developers, risking forest cover.
- Political Party
- Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) [NCP (SP)]
- Key Figure
- Manoj Pradhan, NCP (SP) Thane District President
- Disputed Land
- 193-acre Transferable Development Rights (TDR) parcel in Thane
- Protected Land
- 1,053 acres registered as Reserved Forest in Sanjay Gandhi National Park
- Revenue Minister
- Chandrashekhar Bawankule
- Main Demand
- White paper from the Revenue and Forest Departments
- Legal History
- Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal ruling after a 50-year dispute; case reached the Bombay High Court; matter moved to the Supreme Court
- Location
- Thane, Maharashtra, India