Dubai: Former India cricketer Yusuf Pathan has moved a step closer to receiving a disputed residential plot worth millions of rupees in Vadodara after the city’s municipal standing committee approved the proposal to allot the land to him.

The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) approved the proposal on Friday, formalising a decision by the Gujarat government that had previously been reported but still required the civic body’s approval.

The 978-square-metre plot is located in the Tandalja area, adjacent to Pathan’s residential bungalow. Under the proposal, 500 square metres will be gifted to the former cricketer, while he will pay 55 per cent of the valuation for the remaining area. The government will compensate the corporation for the gifted portion.

The decision sparked protests from Congress workers, who staged a sit-in outside the standing committee meeting hall and accused the BJP-led civic administration of handing over public land to Pathan.…