A committee will investigate cases of Ajit Pawar pertaining to Kikvi small scale industry project and Kanchanpur large scale industry project.
After NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal it’s now Ajit Pawar’s turn to face probe in the irrigation scam. A committee formed by the BJP government will investigate cases of Pawar pertaining to Kikvi small scale industry project and Kanchanpur large scale industry project. The probe is being conducted in order to ascertain whether there were any irregularities in the project. The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High court has ordered for a preliminary probe and submit report within three months.
Pradeep Purandhare has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court in this regard. The court had ordered for a probe while hearing this petition. The state government has issued a government resolution (GR) in this regard. A three member committee has been formed under the leadership of Chief Engineer (Hydroelectricity) Panse. The state government had order a probe into nod given for the 189 water projects from 2007 to 2013.
Even though the integrated water project was not completed permission was given for the project without receiving clearance from Maharashtra Water resources regulation authority. Why was the nod given for the project by flouting rules?
Out of the 189 projects 48 projects are yet to start functioning. The contractors have received kickbacks to the tune of crores of rupees. The probe is being ordered in this regard too. The permission for construction of the project was sanctioned in the year 2007 and at that time Ajit Pawar was the Water Resources minister.
Earlier Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had given the go-ahead to the ACB for the probe against Pawar and state NCP president Sunil Tatkare in connection with alleged corruption and irregularities in execution of various irrigation projects during their tenure as Water Resource Ministers.
It was alleged that Ajit Pawar, who was Water Resources Minister between 1999 and 2009, had approved 38 projects worth Rs 20,000 crore in 2009 by tweaking rules and without clearance of Governing Council of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC).
Moreover, despite huge expenditure, it appeared that there was no significant rise in irrigated land in the state. The percentage of irrigation potential had increased by just 0.1 percent in past ten years, despite an expenditure of Rs 70,000 crores on such projects.
