Maharashtra cabinet waives stamp duty for proposed cancer hospital in Raigad

Mumbai, Aug 19 (PTI) In a move aimed at expanding healthcare infrastructure in Maharashtra, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved a complete stamp duty waiver for a proposed cancer hospital by Tata Memorial Centre in Raigad district.

As part of the project, 10 hectares of government land at Tambati in Khalapur taluka has been allotted to the Tata Memorial Centre on a 30-year lease at a nominal rent of Rs 1 per year.

The stamp duty of Rs 38.99 lakh applicable on the lease agreement has been fully waived, it was stated.

The centre is establishing an Integrated Ayurvedic Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, which will include a 100-bed facility.

At least 12 per cent of beds at the facility will be reserved at subsidised rates under Central and state government health schemes for poor and economically weaker sections.

Additionally, accommodation for one attendant per patient will be provided at minimal cost.

The decision to waive the stamp duty was taken under provisions of the Maharashtra Stamp Act, with necessary notifications to be issued after consultation with the Law and Judiciary Department.

Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, in a statement, said that the waiver will facilitate the expansion of cancer research and treatment services by Tata Memorial Centre and provide quality healthcare access to the general public, especially in rural and semi-urban areas.

In another decision, the cabinet approved the regularisation of encroachments at Vengurla Camp Gawaliwada in Sindhudurg district.

At least 42 families, most of them from the Gawli community, have been residing on this land since the British era, with structures dating back to 1905, as per a resolution passed by the Vengurla Municipal Council.

The residents have been demanding legal ownership of the land and their homes.

Under the approved policy, encroachments of up to 1,500 sq ft per household will be regularised free of cost.

For any area above 1,500 sq ft, occupants will be required to pay as per the 1989 government valuation rates, to which residents have already consented in meetings with the Sub-Divisional Officer of Sawantwadi.

The land will be granted under Occupant Class-2 tenure, meaning it cannot be sold or transferred without the government's permission.

The total area under encroachment includes 0.69.32 hectares of built-up land and 2.23.88 hectares of open land, totalling 2.93.20 hectares, excluding religious structures.

The move overturns earlier rules from 2002, which mandated payment of 2.5 times the market rate plus interest for regularisation.

Bawankule said this decision brings long-awaited justice to generations of the Gawli community, who have lived on this land for decades.

It not only resolves a long-pending issue but also sets a precedent for similar cases across the state, he said in a statement. PTI MR ARU