Vadodara Municipal Corporation fixes land valuation for plot occupied by MP Yusuf Pathan

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation standing committee passed a resolution valuing a 978-square-metre civic plot in Tandalja at INR 210,000 per sq m, officials said. The valuation, prepared under Land Disposal Act norms by a multi-agency committee, is valid for three years and will be final after approval at a meeting.

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has set a price for a land parcel that Trinamool Congress MP Yusuf Pathan has occupied without approval. An official said the rate was fixed at Rs 2.10 lakh per square metre. The land measures 978 square metres. It is located in the Tandalja area of Vadodara.

An official said the standing committee passed a resolution on Friday for valuing seven VMC-owned plots. The plot linked to Pathan was included in this list. The move sets a formal benchmark if the civic body later chooses to dispose of any plot. The valuation will be placed before the wider VMC for approval.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation land valuation and auction process

Municipal secretary Chintan Desai said the VMC first fixes a valuation before any auction sale. Desai said an auction decision can come later for each property. "Whether or not these plots are actually put up for auction is a matter to be decided at a later stage,\" Desai said. The current step only sets the base value.

Desai said such valuations remain valid for three years. After that, the rate must be assessed again before a sale. Desai said the work follows the Land Disposal Act. A committee handles the exercise using set norms. Officials from the VMC, VUDA, the state government, and the collector’s office are included.

Desai said the rate will be treated as final only after general body approval. The general body meeting is likely in the first week of July, Desai added. Until then, the figure remains part of the standing committee’s decision. The civic body has not announced any auction schedule for these plots.

Vadodara Municipal Corporation land case involving Yusuf Pathan

The dispute traces back to 2012, when Pathan occupied the land based on a VMC proposal. The proposal went to the state government for approval. The state government rejected it, according to the official. Pathan continued to keep possession of the land after 2012 despite that rejection.

In 2024, after Pathan was elected as a TMC MP, the VMC issued a notice to vacate. Pathan challenged the notice in the Gujarat High Court. A single judge upheld the Gujarat government’s decision rejecting the allotment request. Pathan later moved a division bench against the order.

The division bench recently criticised Pathan for retaining the land since 2012. The bench also made an oral remark that Pathan might have to pay cost. Despite the 2024 rejection of the claim, Pathan continued to occupy the plot. The court earlier asked how the land was held without formalities.

The VMC’s valuation resolution now sets a formal rate for the disputed 978-square metre plot in Tandalja. The decision also covers six other VMC plots and follows the civic body’s process before any auction. The valuation is expected to be placed before the VMC general body in early July for approval.

With inputs from PTI