Unmesh Gujarathi
Sprouts Exclusive

Our Sprouts Investigation Team (SIT) unearthed a housing scandal in which CIDCO had allotted a plot of land to the local Navi Mumbai (satellite township of financial hub Mumbai) based Hindi daily Navabharat in the Sanpada (East) area.

The land was allotted for the purpose of constructing homes for the journalists working with the Hindi daily in 2002. However, the then director DB Sharma ( Deshbhushan Kulbhushan Sharma ) misused his powers and assumed possession of the said premises on MHADA-allotted housing for journalists by using fraudulent documents.

Owners Vinod Ramgopal Maheshwari, the then president Vivek Prasad, and clerk turned HR manager A Shrinivas and then manager. Our SIT discovered that A. Shrinivas at that point in time forged the signature of the General Manager and made DB Sharma a chief sub-editor way back in 1998. Shrinivas was just a clerk when this forgery happened.

Interestingly, it is on record that DB Sharma is shown on paper as one who joined the daily Navabharat in 1994 whereas the newspaper came into existence only in 1997. In just a matter of one day, Sharma was able to secure the domicile certificate from a Thane-based magistrate on the basis of his pan card and a certificate from Navabharat. The date on record is January 22, 2009.

In 2018, the state administration canceled Sharma’s accreditation card for lack of adequate documentary proof and submissions. Unfortunately, even as of today, Sharma is in possession of the MHADA flat and no thought is being given to the genuine journalistic staff of daily Navabharat.