*November 3, 2010* *PUNE:* State revenue minister Narayan Rane on Sunday sought to justify the transfer of a prime plot of land at Vishrantwadi in Pune to the Dnyaneshwari Private Education Trust, which is headed by his relatives. The land had been earmarked for a rehabilitation centre for the mentally ill.
TOI, on March 19, 2009, had exposed the transfer of the 7.5-acre plot to the trust. Subsequent reports in this paper (see box) had questioned the land transfer, more so because it was after the deal was effected that the Maharashtra Institute of Mental Health (MIMH) had received funds for building the rehabilitation centre. The MIMH learnt of the transfer around January 2009. The land transfer comes as another setback to Rane's chances of cornering the chief minister's post in the event of Ashok Chavan having to quit over irregularities in the Adarsh housing society scam. On October 29, Rane faced much embarrassment when the Bombay high court stayed the sale of a piece of land at Mahabaleshwar following a petition filed by a temple trust questioning the deal between Rane's wife Neelam and one Sureshchandra Panchal. Speaking to TOI about the Pune plot, Rane said the transfer had taken place because the MIMH had "refused" to use the land. "MIMH had given a letter saying that it didn't require the land. That's why it was transferred to the trust. This doesn't mean that the rehabilitation centre cannot be built. Some other land will be given to the MIMH to build the centre, if they so propose," he said. Rane added, "All these are false allegations made to destroy my political career. But I am a true fighter. I will keep fighting against such false claims and come out a winner." The land transfer had come as a shock to the MIMH as the institute had received a state funding of Rs 90 lakh to establish the rehabilitation centre. The state branch of the Indian Medical Association ( IMA) and the Pune Psychiatrists' Association (PPA) had sent copies of their resolutions to the chief minister and the state revenue department asking them to reconsider the decision to transfer the land to the trust. A group of mentally ill patients had also met the district collector in the matter. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6849151.cms -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Mental Health Advocacy (News 'N Views) India" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/MhaNewsViewsIndia?hl=en ------------- Affiliated Groups : MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCACY INDIA [email protected] Discussions on mental health law / policy / plan monitoring / human rights etc [email protected] India-specific news and views related to mental health [email protected] Information and support to carers of people with mental health issues [email protected] Mutual support and sharing of experiential knowledge, skills and social learning amongst peers
