State expands scope of panel to investigate land denotified during earlier regime, Opposition says ruling party dodging the issue
Months after a controversy broke out over alleged involvement of Maharashtra Industries Minister Subhash Desai in a Rs 50,000-crore land scam, the government has decided to include ministers from the previous Congress-NCP regimes in its probe into the alleged irregularities.
The scope of a panel investigating the land denotification allegations has been expanded, said a government source requesting anonymity. Former additional chief secretary (Home) KP Bakshi is the lone member on the panel.
Desai, a Shiv Sena leader who is also believed to be close to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is accused of denotifying 60,000 acres of land under the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation.
When the state identifies land for government projects, it issues a notification on the plots thus restraining the owner from selling it to a third party. Denotification is the reverse of this process, which means removing the restrictions on the transfer rights on a piece of land.
In a report on August 7, 2017, DNA was the first to highlight the alleged denotification of land during Desai's tenure. The report had given additional ammunition to opposition parties to target the ruling dispensation. Apparently, this had prompted Desai to offer his resignation, though Fadnavis didn't accept it.
The source said the Bakshi panel will now former industries ministers, including Ashok Chavan, Rajendra Darda and Narayan Rane. Explanations from these ex-ministers have been sought about decisions on land denotification during their respective tenures, said the source.
Bakshi told DNA that the report would be submitted to the chief minister by February 15.
According senior government officials, it was during Narayan Rane's stint maximum MIDC land was denotified. "Mr Rane had also blatantly violated the norms. However, report has not pinpointed anyone. It report gives factual details of the extent of denotification. It is the CM's call now," said a senior industries official, who requested anonymity.
The move has not gone down well with rival parties. Leader of Oppositions in State Council Dhananjay Munde said they had specifically asked for a probe against Desai. "Why is the chief minister expanding the scope and changing the goalpost? If he is really interested in probing all industries ministers, then the probe should start from the Sena-BJP government in 1995."
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said the expanded scope of the Bakshi panel is a ploy to divert attention. "CM Fadnavis may put the blame on Narayan Rane too. We will stick to our demand for a judicial probe against Desai."
OPPN SLAMS GOVT
NCP termed the decision a ploy to divert attention. Party spokesperson Nawab Malik said they will stick to their demand for a judicial probe against Subhash Desai
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