According to officials, the Inspector General of Registration (IGR) has written to every office of its deputies in the state, requesting that they investigate the sales of defence bungalows within their jurisdiction, take appropriate action, and provide a compliance report.
According to IGR headquarters, the Southern Command Defence Estates director’s letter, which objected to the sale of defence bungalows, citing their status as government property that cannot be sold, was the basis for the action taken. As a national asset of the Indian Army, he requested that IGR cease selling any defence bungalows in the cantonments of Pune and Khadki.
As part of its letter to officials, the IGR cited the letter from the Director of Defence Estates of the Southern Command from December 6, 2023 and instructed them to submit a compliance report regarding the sale of defence bungalows in cantonment areas in accordance with registration department regulations.
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Under the letter dated January 1, all deputy IGRs in charge of their area must provide strict instructions on how to sell bungalows and defense properties to sub-registrars under their supervision.
The IGR stated that the state’s registration offices have been notified, and officers in charge have been instructed not to register any old grant bungalow defense property until they have received a NOC from the ministry of defense or another appropriate authority. An official letter from the Director of Defence Estates, Southern Command, states that such registrations have occurred in the past and that no such registrations should be made in the future.
The IGR letter is important since the Defence Estate Office in Pune is investigating 15 old grant bungalow (OGB) deals. It is suspected that the violators are selling prime defense properties in an illegal and fraudulent manner. It is estimated that the market value of the 60 expansive bungalows in prime locations owned by the Khadki Cantonment Board (KCB) and the over 300 OGBs owned by the Pune Cantonment Board (PCB) is approximately ten crores. Within the last three weeks, the Pune office of the DEO has sealed four bungalows valued at approximately 350 crores. It has also begun the process of taking over one of the oldest New Poona Clubs due to non-payment of dues totaling 17 crores and the expiration of its lease.
