MUMBAI: The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the transfer of nearly 4.3 acres of industrial land at Dombivli to the Pimpleshwar Devasthan Temple Trust at a nominal cost, based on encroachment rules.Located along Kalyan-Shil Road, the Shri Pimpaleshwar Mahadev Temple, believed to be around 150 years old, received pilgrimage site status from the Maharashtra government in 1997.The land, owned by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in the Sagaon-Sonarpada area of the Dombivli industrial zone, will be cleared of encroachments and handed over to the trust. The land is currently being used by the trust.The government was requested to provide the land to the organisation for social work at a nominal cost. MIDC had submitted information to the government in this regard through a resolution. Following this, and based on inputs from the home department, government policy, as well as recommendations from the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) and the state-level committee, the proposal to transfer the land in the name of the Pimpleshwar Devasthan Trust was approved, a government press release said.The cabinet decision further stated that KDMC should formulate a policy and take appropriate action in matters related to the removal of encroachments on MIDC-owned land, including regularisation or relocation. It was further clarified that this case cannot be used as a precedent, the press release stated.Temple trust officials said local MP Shrikant Shinde had pursued the matter, and the decision would help in the planned development, beautification and preservation of the temple complex, which includes a gaushala, Vedic school, social hall and over 400 trees.
