Pune News: The Salisbury Park land controversy continues to generate heat for the second week with rumour mills abuzz that the sale of the Rs 250-crore, 24.31-acre land belonging to India Financial Association (IFA) of the Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) will be registered on Monday. But, the chairman of IFA, Ronn Watt told The Indian Express over phone from Bangalore that they were not yet ready.

“It will take a while as there are certain things which need to be ironed out,” he said. Watt said they were not yet ready to disclose the name of the Pune builder, but were “getting the documents ready.” He maintained that the sale was to help them with expansion of their existing institutions.

The SDA land continued to attract corporate interest with executive director of Poonawalla group, Adar Poonawalla saying that they were keen to buy some part of the property though it was not the one for which the IFA had issued public notice.

“We have been interested for long in this land but as of now nothing is happening on it and no deal has been struck,” he said. However, the city builder who has disputed the land sale plan of SDA said he was going ahead with legal proceedings against the IFA. “Any kind of transaction would be illegal. We own major part of the property and so there can be no other transaction,” he said

Meanwhile, church members who have been protesting against this move are going ahead with plans to issue a public notice as well as protest before the district collectorate on Wednesday. Former Bishop of Western India Union SG Mahapure who has joined the movement said, “It’s a heritage structure and the church members have full right to know about any kind of sale deed. This is done in absolute secrecy and we will put up a strong fight.”

Lending support is All India Legal Committee’s Sandeep Gaikwad who has been working on safeguarding church properties in northern India. “Our team is here and we will be backing the members and will not allow the sale of land,” he said. According to Mahapure, the IFA is only a part of SDA church and not the sole authority. The properties of the SDA are heritage property and the church members are the shareholders of all the properties.

The properties acquired and held by the SDA including IFA are acquired by the contributions of the members of the church, he said. It is a double blow for SDA as it’s now facing action from within its ranks and outside ¿ where the city builder is threatening legal action.

The notice issued by the builder’s advocate on June 27, 2007 had stated that SDA is the owner of only 22 acres and 18 gunthas which was purchased by them by way of sale deed on March 28, 1930 ¿ while 45 acres and 35 gunthas are still unsold. The builder had cautioned the public “not to deal with any person/party in respect of this said remaining property as they had registered documents.”

by http://www.hindu.com