MUMBAI: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has directed the Maharashtra government to examine allegations of irregularities in the acquisition of compensatory afforestation (CA) land by Maharashtra State Power Generation Company Ltd (Mahagenco) for its Gare Palma Sector-II coal block in Chhattisgarh.Acting on a complaint submitted by Chhattisgarh-based activist Naresh Chandra Gupta, the PMO forwarded the matter to the Maharashtra government, which has sought a detailed report from Mahagenco.The complaint alleges that nearly Rs 110 crore was spent on acquiring around 214.869 hectares of private land required for compensatory afforestation to secure forest clearance for the coal block.According to the complaint, several land valuation and certification records relied upon for the transactions carried only local-level revenue endorsements and allegedly lacked higher-level verification.The complaint also alleges that detailed historical title verification of the land parcels was not carried out before purchase.The complainant has further alleged that some of the acquired land parcels were linked to multiple interconnected entities and had previously been used as solvency assets in commercial contracts.Questions have also been raised regarding the present physical status and traceability of some of the land parcels.Mahagenco, however, has denied any irregularity, stating that suitable government land for compensatory afforestation was unavailable and that private land was identified following advice from forest authorities.Mahagenco said they procured approximately 530 acres of Compensatory Afforestation (CA) land at a total cost of around ₹93 crore, and not ₹110 crore as alleged.The utility said all acquisitions were carried out through registered sale deeds after obtaining approvals from the competent authorities.The complaint also alleges that several land records contained identical site maps despite relating to different survey numbers, raising concerns about the authenticity of the documentation and whether proper ground surveys were conducted.Another allegation relates to the Expression of Interest (EOI) process used to identify land. The complaint claims the notices received limited public visibility because they were published in newspapers with low circulation and that the exercise effectively restricted wider participation.Mahagenco has rejected the allegation, stating that the EOI was published in government-empanelled newspapers in Raigarh and Raipur and was also hosted on the websites of Mahagenco and its consultant.According to the utility, four proposals were received in response.The complaint further alleges that some participants in the process lacked the financial capacity to independently aggregate land holdings of the scale eventually acquired.It also alleges that several transactions were routed through power-of-attorney arrangements and intermediary entities.While the complainant has questioned whether public funds ultimately reached the original landowners, Mahagenco maintains that the purchases were completed through legally registered transactions and in accordance with applicable procedures.The complaint has also raised concerns that if any of the alleged deficiencies in land records, title verification or documentation are established, they could have implications for the compensatory afforestation process that formed part of the forest clearance requirements for the project.In its response, Mahagenco said valuation was carried out as per applicable norms.It stated that the land received a suitability certificate from the Divisional Forest Officer, Raigarh, and a no-objection certificate from the district collector before purchase.The utility added that after mutation and transfer to the forest department, the land was notified as Reserved Forest by the Chhattisgarh government in December 2022.Officials said the inquiry initiated following the PMO referral would examine the allegations, supporting records, approvals and Mahagenco’s response before any conclusions are reached.
