Riteish, Genelia Deshmukh court controversy over land allotment for their company

 Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh has landed in controversy over the allotment of a plot to his agro-processing company in the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) area in Latur.

Latur District Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Gurunath Mage claimed that Deshmukh's company Desh Agro Private Limited was allocated the land within three weeks of its formation and just ten days after the submission of the application for the allotment of the same.

Riteish's wife Genelia Deshmukh is a co-owner of the company.

According to MIDC rule, allotment of land is to be on a priority basis to the projects being set up with capital of more than Rs 20 crore.

The BJP leader said the land allotment requests of 16 such projects whose capital investment is above Rs 20 crores have been pending since 2019.

Mage said Desh Agro, which was registered on March 21, 2021, had demanded allotment of land in the month of April. "Within just 9 days, three plots of more than 2.5 lakh square metres were allocated to them together.

"When 16 requests are pending since 2019, then how the land was allotted to Deshmukh's company in a hurry within 10 days? There should be an inquiry into it."

Mage claimed that the allotment of the land was made at the rate of Rs 605 per square metre. The land was handed over to Desh Agro on July 22, while the district cooperative bank gave it the first loan instalment Rs 61 crore on October 27, Mage said.

BJP Latur city vice-president Pradeep More said that cooperative banks are formed to financially support businesses run on a cooperative basis. He alleged that the district cooperative bank was controlled by Riteish Deshmukh's uncle and former minister Diliprao Deshmukh and it disbursed Rs 116 crore to the Desh Agro in the span of just five months.

More further alleged that Riteish Deshmukh's brother used his political influence in the allotment of the land and his uncle facilitated the funding.