Ponda: In a strong rebuttal to allegations of land grabbing in Betoda, a group of original landowners stated that they are the lawful and sole owners of the 55,700 sq m property and that the transaction with developers was carried out legally.
The five owners on Sunday told reporters that the land traditionally belongs to their Scheduled Tribe community and was sold by them for around Rs 3 crore through a valid agreement.
“The transaction was backed by an 1894 title document and a registered Power of Attorney granted to developers Javed Mulla and Niraj Kankonkar,” they said.
Rejecting claims of fraud, the owners said that they have no role in any alleged forged No Objection Certificates (NOCs). “We have only executed a Power of Attorney. If any fake NOCs were produced, we are not responsible,” they said.
They also questioned the recent protests, asking why objections were not raised during earlier transactions, including past ownership transfers involving industrial entities. “Those who believe we have betrayed them are free to seek a judicial inquiry,” they said.
Ponda Police had identified multiple suspects, including a town planning official and developers, in connection with alleged irregularities in plot sales.
