Ajinkya Rahane gets Bandra plot that Sunil Gavaskar didn’t develop

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has decided to allot a plot measuring 21,348 square feet at Bandra West to cricketer Ajinkya Rahane for establishing a well-equipped sports facility. The plot will be leased out to Rahane for a period of 30 years for a premium of ₹4.88 crore and lease rent as per prevailing rates of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), which owns the land.

The decision was taken during the state cabinet meeting held on Monday. Though the government had initially proposed to allot the plot at a nominal fee of ₹1, the state cabinet decided to charge a premium, said a senior official from the state revenue department.

The plot, reserved for a sports complex, is located close to Lilavati Hospital in Bandra West, where land prices range between ₹70,000 per square feet to ₹1,20,000 per square feet. It had been allotted to the Sunil Gavaskar Cricket Foundation Trust (SGCFT) in 1988 for a period of 60 years. Though the trust had committed to setting up an indoor cricket academy on it within three years, it failed to do so despite the passage of nearly 33 years, prompting the state housing department to cancel the allotment in June 2022.

“On August 20, 2024, MHADA passed a resolution to hand over the plot to Rahane, which was approved by the state cabinet on Monday,” the official quoted earlier said. The land parcel is in bad shape as it has remained unused for more than 36 years, the official added.

Rahane, former captain of the Indian Test team and current captain of the Mumbai Ranji trophy team, has agreed to set up a sports facility on the plot. He cannot sub-lease or transfer the plot and at least 15% of the students enrolled at the sports facility must be drawn from poor financial backgrounds, according to the proposal.