Maharshtra clears ACB enquiry against Ajit Pawar, Tatkare and Bhujbal

TNN

Nagpur, Dec 13, 2014: In a major blow to the Nationalist Congress Party, the BJP-Shiv Sena government, on Friday, informed the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court that it had given the green signal for an open anti-corruption bureau (ACB) enquiry against former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and former water resources minister Sunil Tatkare. The two are alleged to have played a big role in the Rs 72,000 crore irrigation scam in Vidarbha.

 

An oral statement in this regard was made by newly appointed advocate general Sunil Manohar who told the court that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis cleared the ACB’s request to probe the two NCP seniors.

 

The AG said CM has also okayed a similar inquiry against another NCP senior, former PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal. The ACB, led by director general Praveen Dixit, had sought to conduct an enquiry against him in the scam related to Maharashtra Sadan construction in Delhi. He has no connection in the irrigation scam.

 

On petitioner Jan Manch’s counsel Anil Kilor’s request, a division bench comprising Justice Bhushan Gavai and Justice Vinay Deshpande also asked the government to probe the role of officers and contractors in the scam. The court then disposed of two PILs while granting liberty to the petitioners to approach again in case their demands were not met with by the government. The scam was first exposed by TOI in November and December 2010.

 

Manohar didn’t respond to calls while Pawar’s phone remained switched off. However, Tatkare said NCP will face the probe as "we hadn’t anything wrong".

 

During the formation of the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government, the NCP had been accused of being opportunistic as it had offered complete support to the BJP government. But, with Shiv Sena joining the government after a lot of drama, the tainted NCP politicians were set to face the music. Fadnavis seems to have wasted no time in acting quickly against corruption as, while in the opposition, he himself had raised the issue several times.

 

Fadnavis later said that he had cleared the ACB’s request several days ago. "We’ve informed the court only today. The decision was not taken with prejudice against anyone. The government would not interfere with the case and would let the law to take its own course," he said.

 

The PILs were filed by NGO Jan Manch, and social workers — including Mohan Karemore, Amit Khot and Bharti Dabhadkar — alleging massive corruption and mismanagement in all irrigation projects in Vidarbha, including that of the much-delayed Gosikhurd dam, while demanding a judicial probe or CBI enquiry into the affairs.

 

 

The NGO had contended that the cost of 38 irrigation projects coming under VIDC had rose dramatically by a whopping Rs20,000 crore in just seven months in 2009 - from Rs6,672 crore to Rs26,722 crore. It also claimed that among them, 30 projects were granted quick approval in just four days and their cost was later revised.

 

Further citing the Vadnare panel’s report pertaining to Gosikhurd dam having potential it irrigate over 2.50 lakh hectare, the NGO said it found that rates were arbitrarily increased in 90 major tenders related to the project. In most cases VIDC officials illegally awarded tenders at 15% to 40% above the estimate. The NGO had attached many TOI reports that exposed the scam.

 

 

Social workers had argued through counsel Srikant Khandalkar that the Maharashtra Department of Minor Irrigation had identified 36 projects at the cost of Rs244.22 crore in 2001, but due to inordinate delay, their cost had jumped by a whopping 270% to Rs672.31 crore. Citing TOI report, they informed that the government had diverted Rs1 lakh crore meant for Vidarbha irrigation projects to western Maharashtra during last decade.

 

Before the assembly elections in October, BJP was at forefront for demanding investigations into the scam and Fadnavis had raised the issue many a times in assembly and also submitted documents to the Madhav Chitale panel.

 

What the Jan Manch PIL sought

 

* Directives to union finance ministry and state irrigation secretary to investigate the matter of siphoning public money, irregularities, illegalities in the tenders invited and awarded to bidders and poor quality of work executed relating to Gosikhurd project, through CBI or through any independent investigating agency and submit a report before this court within a specific time frame

 

* Recover the loss incurred to exchequer from erring officials of state government and VIDC and initiate criminal and departmental proceedings against them

 

* Blacklist erring contractors and recover entire amount paid to them for defective work

 

* Complete all projects within stipulated period and as per recommendations of the high power committee set up in year 2001

 

* Conduct a physical audit by appointing a committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge with an irrigation expert having knowledge in the field of water resources to find out the actual irrigation potential achieved and created