Major setback for Rohit Pawar: Baramati Agro fined ₹4 Lakh

NCP MLA Rohit Pawar's sugar factory, Baramati Agro, has been fined four lakh rupees by Sugar Commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad for violating government regulations. The fine was imposed following a complaint made by BJP leader Ram Shinde.

Ram Shinde previously served as a minister in the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena coalition government from 2014 to 2019. In the 2019 assembly elections, he contested from the Karjat-Jamkhed constituency but was defeated by Rohit Pawar. After the elections, he was appointed as a member of the state legislative council (MLC).

What was the violation?

The violation involved the factory starting its sugarcane crushing season before the designated date of October 15th, 2022, which was decided upon during a cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde. Ram Shinde had claimed that the factory had started crushing before the designated date, leading to a case being lodged against the factory's Managing Director, Subhash Gulve, in March.

Shekhar Gaikwad stated that the factory had brought in sugarcane using unauthorized trucks and tempos, which was illegal. Despite requests from the authorities, the factory did not respond to these violations. As a result, the Baramati Agro sugar factory in Indapur taluka has been fined four lakh rupees for its violations.