Giving a political spin to the Yashwant Sonawane burning incident, the party also alleged that a minister at the Centre and ministers in the state were hand-in-glove with individuals who remote-control the oil mafia.
The government’s directive to the administration to stop raids on furnace oil emanating from JNPT has boosted the morale of the oil mafia in the state, the BJP has alleged.
Giving a political spin to the Yashwant Sonawane burning incident, the party also alleged that a minister at the Centre and ministers in the state were hand-in-glove with individuals who remote-control the oil mafia.
When the oil barrels arrive at JNPT, the furnace oil is passed off as sludge. It is sold off at Rs4 per litre while in the open market it fetches Rs27 per litre. “On January 24, the state government issued a resolution amending its 2007 order to exempt furnace oil from vigilance. Two persons — Ramesh and Harish — handed over Rs25 crore to various departments in Mantralaya connected to the policy change on behalf of the oil dealers,” said BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde. The oil mafia-politician nexus was not limited to the state alone. One of the Union ministers was also a beneficiary, he added. He, however, refused to name the minister.
“I have sought an appointment with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan. I will bare all the details then. I hope he displays the courage to take action against all those guilty,” Tawade said.
The instruction to the district administrations on raids against furnace oil dealers was issued by the ministry of food civil supplies and consumer protection department. The minister in charge of the department is Anil Deshmukh of the NCP. A senior officer in the ministry said, “We were toeing the Centre’s directives in exempting furnace oil from the state order of 2007. Where is the question of encouraging the oil mafia.”
Meanwhile, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has sought the help of the Centre to tackle the oil mafia. Minister of oil and petroleum Jaipal Reddy has already promised major reforms in the sector to demolish the oil mafia.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}