Vadodara Municipal Corporation Approves Land Allotment for Yusuf Pathan

The Standing Committee of the BJP-ruled Vadodara Municipal Corporation on Friday unanimously approved the allotment of a 978-square-metre municipal plot to former Indian cricketer and Lok Sabha MP Yusuf Pathan. The decision follows a Gujarat government resolution dated August 13 and comes months after Pathan shifted his political allegiance. Of the total area, 500 square metres will be given as a gift for residential use, while the remaining 478 square metres will be provided at 55 percent of the valuation fixed by the Vadodara Urban Development Authority Valuation Committee. The plot is located at Town Planning Scheme 22, Final Plot 90, in the Tandalja area next to Pathan's family bungalow, Bagh-e-Mehmud, and has an estimated market value of around 20.5 crore rupees. Pathan first sought the land in 2012, initially applying for a 99-year lease citing security concerns, but the state government rejected the deal in 2014 because the land was not offered through a public auction. Following the rejection, the civic body alleged that Pathan occupied the plot and built a boundary wall, which led to an encroachment order in June 2024 and subsequent legal battles in the Gujarat high court.

Reactions and Opposition

Congress leaders staged a protest outside the Standing Committee hall ahead of Friday's meeting, opposing the land transfer. Vadodara city Congress president Rutvij Joshi alleged that the civic body was giving away valuable land, with part of it free of cost and the rest at a concessional rate. Congress councillor Chandrakant Shrivastav questioned the legality and financial implications of the deal, asking why similar benefits were not extended to other former cricketers from the city such as Kiran More, Nayan Mongia, Atul Bedade, Anshuman Gaekwad, and Hardik Pandya. Meanwhile, a separate proposal has been submitted to the VMC seeking land for women's cricketer Radha Yadav to develop an outdoor practice facility. VMC Standing Committee chairperson Varsha Vyas stated that the proposal was cleared based on the fresh state government resolution while noting Pathan's contribution to Indian cricket, and the resolution specifies that the partial gift should not serve as a precedent.

Context

Land allotments to international sportspersons are sometimes handled under special state government policies, though municipal land transfers usually require strict adherence to public auction norms to ensure transparency and fair revenue generation for local bodies. Vadodara Municipal Corporation handles civic administration and urban planning for the city, with decisions on major property matters routed through its elected Standing Committee and general board. Political dynamics in municipal bodies often reflect broader state-level alignments, as seen in the handling of long-pending property disputes following policy revisions by the state government.