Khadse charged the attack on the General Administration Department (GAD) handled by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Known for his belligerent stance against the government, former minister and senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse smelled a rat in a contract to kill over three lakh rodents in the Mantralaya. He charged that Dhule farmer Dharma Patil, who committed suicide in the complex, had done so with the poison kept to kill these pests, but later clarified the comments were in a "lighter vein".
Khadse charged the attack on the General Administration Department (GAD) handled by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
Khadse, who resigned from the cabinet in 2016 after a controversy over his kin purchasing a plot reserved for the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), was speaking in the state legislative assembly on Thursday.
He noted that BJP MLA Charan Waghmare had filed an RTI seeking details about the rat menace in Mantralaya. The reply revealed that a special drive estimated the rodent number at 3,19,400.
"A tender was issued to kill rats in six months," said Khadse, adding however, the work order issued in 2016 had reduced this to just two months. "In seven days, a total of 3,19,400 rodents were killed i.e the extermination happened at the rate of 45,628.57 per day… and 31.68 per minute," said the former revenue minister amidst guffaws by other legislators. In comparison, the BMC killed six lakh rats in Mumbai in two years.
The weight of rats killed daily between May 3 and May 10 amounted to 9,125.71 kg, but there were no records of how they were disposed-off. He added the agency got Rs 1.5 per rat killed, with money being paid recently.
Khadse charged Patil, who was protesting low compensation for his land and had consumed poison in Mantralaya in January, had accessed the poison kept for the rats but told reporters later that this was said in a "lighter vein".
Khadse said that no permission had been taken from GAD or Home department to store the poison in Mantralaya and the company had no permission to handle it either.
"The scam must be probed... Action must be taken against those defaming the government," he demanded, questioning the number of such "rats" in other government and semi-government offices.
Minister of State Madan Yerawar said the state government would table information on the tender before the house.
Mousetrap
- A special drive said there were 3,19,400 rats in Mantralaya
- A report said all the rodents were killed in 7 days, but didn’t mention how
- The contracted agency did not have permissions to handle rat poison
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