Maha:CM's mom-in-law had a stake in Adarsh society

Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan has sought information on the row over the allotment of a prime plot of land to Adarsh co-operative housing society but it has now emerged that the members include his late mother-in-law Bhagwati Manoharlal Sharma. Chavan was unavailable for comment.

The name of Sharma, who died in July, appears in the official list submitted by the society whose beneficiaries include former services chiefs, politicians and bureaucrats. Bhagwati Manoharlal Sharma, 77, passed away at Varsha, the chief minister's official residence in July.

A controversy has erupted over how the Adarsh society in Colaba, originally meant to be a six-storey structure to house Kargil war heroes and widows, got converted into a 31-storey tower through collusion of bureaucrats, politicians and top defence officers.

The highrise is built on 6,450 sq metres within the Colaba naval area and was cleared on the condition of housing war veterans. Now, it houses 104 members including senior army commanders, a former environment minister, legislators and state bureaucrats.

Former chief secretary D K Sankaran's son Sanjoy is among the allottees. Mumbai collector Chandrashekhar Oke, who was asked to submit a comprehensive report on the status of the building land, has submitted a preliminary report which will help resolve the issue of whether the land belongs to the defence or the state revenue department.