Indian developer attempts suicide, miffed over project delay

Nithin Belle/Mumbai

Filed on May 11, 2016 | Last updated on May 11, 2016 at 06.53 am

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Raj Khanderi lived with his wife, children and parents.- PTI

The builder lived with his wife, children and parents in the flat and was worried as his Panvel project had not got clearances for nearly six months.

Apparantly frustrated over delays in getting approvals for his real estate project, a Navi Mumbai developer attempted suicide by shooting himself with his revolver at his home in Sanpada on Monday.

Raj Khanderi, 44, the real estate developer, who had submitted proposals for a project at Panvel in the vicinity of the upcoming international airport, was reported to be depressed over the delays in getting the clearance.

His suicide attempt comes barely six months after a builder in Thane killed himself after facing problems with various authorities in getting clearances for his projects. Suraj Parmar, the Thane builder, shot himself after government agencies stalled his project.

A suicide note left behind by Parmar blamed four elected officials for extorting funds from him. Developers in Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai launched an agitation after his suicide, demanding a probe into the harassment of builders in these three cities.

The Thane police had also recovered a diary from Parmar where he had mentioned names of corporators of different political parties and bureaucrats whom he had to bribe to get projects sanctioned. Four of the corporators of Thane municipal corporation were later arrested. According to Navi Mumbai police, Khanderi shot himself with his licensed revolver at his home in Sanpada. He sustained serious injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital.

The builder lived with his wife, children and parents in the flat and was worried as his Panvel project had not got clearances for nearly six months. His company, Swaraj Builders, has several projects across Navi Mumbai and even in Mumbai's eastern suburbs. Real estate developers in the satellite city often complain about harassment and extortion demands from state government and civic bureaucrats, besides elected officials of local bodies.

Navi Mumbai has seen rapid real estate development in recent years. The proposed new international airport at Panvel has seen land prices soar to record levels.