Nagpur: Days after the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed four First Information Reports (FIR) in the alleged scam in Gosekhurd irrigation projects, the state government has received another boost. A five-member committee constituted to investigate the irregularities in 12 irrigation projects in Konkan has submitted its report to the government which is likely to creat problems for senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, a source in the government said.
The government had formed the committee six months ago to investigate irregularities in the projects of Kondhane, Kalu, Balganga, Shai, Susari, Gadnadi, Shill, Jamada, Shirshinge, Kalkumbhe, Gadgadi and Chanrea. The committee submitted its report recently to Water Resources Minister Girish Mahajan. According to the source, the committee has found massive cost escalation, which was out of rules in all these projects. It has reportedly mentioned in the report that all purchases are doubtful.
“The committee was asked to probe Sunil Tatkare’s role in these projects. However, it has pointed fingers at Ajit Pawar,” the sources said. Tatkare is state president of NCP. The committee’s findings might come as relief to Tatkare but could create doubts over Pawar’s fate. The ACB has already mentioned Tatkare as a suspect in the chargesheet in Kondhane project case.
Speaking with Free Press Journal, Mahajan said, “The probe has been conducted by ACB and the FIR will be register very soon.” When asked whether Ajit Pawar was an accused in Konkan irrigation project scam, the minister just smiled and refused to reply.
Dhananjay Munde, leader of opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council, said the permission for open enquiry in alleged irrigation scam was given during the Congress-NCP regime. “ACB is probing the irrigation scam and it will file FIR against those who will find guilty,” said Munde while speaking at Nagpur.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also said that more FIRs will be registered in multi-crore irrigation scam without naming any leader.
A BJP insider claimed that Fadnavis was disturbed with NCP’s aggressive stand against their party over the failure of the loan waiver scheme. “An appeal by NCP chief Sharad Pawar about non-cooperation with the State regarding payment of any government bill has been taken seriously by the chief minister,” said the BJP source. The source added that he was not aware of the ACB report on the Konkan irrigation scam. “If the report mentions the name of junior Pawar, CM would use it as political weapon against NCP in last year of the government,” the source said. Tatkare and Pawar did not comment about the report.
