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Pawars no strangers to big land projects

Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule and her husband held shares in Lavasa Corp

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Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule and her husband held shares in Lavasa Corp

PUNE: Union minister Sharad Pawar's brother Suryakant is not the only member of his family with a history of involvement in mega land development projects.

The business interests of a politician’s relatives attract attention, particularly when a project involves critical elements such as forest lands, dam waters, and land acquisition, and appears to get multiple government clearances at a quick pace.

Unknown to most people outside Pune, about three years ago, when the Lavasa Corporation began excavation after acquiring massive tracts of land for its mega lake city project in Mulshi taluka of Pune district, there was a ring of secrecy around it.
Lavasa had obtained a host of environmental clearances, industrial licences, and the official status of a new tourism destination from the Maharashtra government. It had inked agreements with the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (then headed by state minister Ajit Pawar) to build eight weirs (walls that control the flow of water) in the backwaters of the Warasgaon dam for commercial use of water.

The worksite was guarded like a military project by a private security agency. The company’s top brass was tight-lipped as were state bureaucrats with Lavasa being described in hush-hush tones as “Sharad Pawar's project”.

The connection first surfaced two years ago when, on the sidelines of a conference in Baramati in March 2006, Pawar's son-in-law Sadanand Sule told this correspondent that while he had been involved with the project in its initial stages, he had since exited from it.

“You are hearing it from me -- neither Supriya nor I have a single share in the project. No member of the Pawar family has a single share in the Lavasa project,” Sule said.

DNA has in its possession documents filed by the Lavasa Corporation and its previous avatar, The Lake City Corporation, with the registrar of companies. These documents reveal that Pawar's daughter Supriya and Sadanand Sule were prominent shareholders in the company in 2002-04.

On October 3, 2002, Sule was allotted 12.48 lakh equity shares and 26.64 lakh 6% redeemable preference shares by The Lake City Corporation Pvt Ltd. The other shareholders included Aniruddha Deshpande, Vinay Vitthal Maniyar, Jyoti Bhale, Arvind Bhale, Hindustan Finvest Ltd, Srivenk Investments Ltd, Venkateshwara Hatcheries Ltd and Janpath Investment and Holdings Ltd.

The shareholding pattern changed in 2004 and as of October 6, 2004, Sadanand and Supriya Sule jointly held 7.49 lakh equity shares and 29.97 lakh 6% redeemable preference shares of the Lavasa Corporation with a face value of Rs10.

Besides well-known associates of Sharad Pawar such as Aniruddha Deshpande, Vitthal Badrinarayan Maniyar, and members of their family, other shareholders at this point of time included Hindustan Construction Ltd (HCC), Janpath Investment & Holdings Ltd, Hindustan Finvest Ltd, and Venkateshwara Hatcheries Pvt Ltd.

Documents in DNA's possession show that Lavasa Corporation was originally registered as Pearly Blue Lake Resorts Pvt Ltd on February 11, 2000, with Aniruddha Deshpande, Vitthal Maniyar, and Aniruddha Seolekar as its first directors.

The firm changed its name to The Lake City Corporation Pvt Ltd on December 12, 2000, and around 2004 to Lavasa Corporation.

The project is being driven by a consortium of companies led by HCC Real Estate Ltd.

Quotes
I was associated with the project in its initial stages. However, I got out of it later. You are hearing it from me -- neither Supriya nor I have a single share in the project. No member of the Pawar family has a single share in the Lavasa project.
--Sadanand Sule, on the sidelines of a conference at Baramati in March 2006

A project of this kind requires political support and we have strong support from Mr Pawar and others.
--Rajgopal Nogja, COO, Lavasa Corporation, in an interview in November 2007

Anyone can have shares in a company. While entering into an agreement or signing an MoU, no minister sees who the shareholders in the company are. We only see what is legal and good for the people. I am now aware that Supriya has shares in Lavasa. Neither Supriya nor Saheb (Sharad Pawar) ever influenced my decision.
--State minister Ajit Pawar in January 2006, when asked about the agreement between the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (then headed by him) and the Lake City Corporation on September 23, 2002.

Fast-track project
Some of the crucial MoUs and clearances secured by the Lake City/Lavasa Corporation in 2002-03 from the Maharashtra government:

1) May 30, 2002: NOC (No BO/TB/RO (HQ) Pune -- 163/444) for development from the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board

2) June 5, 2002: MoU between Lake City Corporation and Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation

3) July 4, 2002: Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation's (MKVDC) NOC (No TPD/ADM2/RBR/2543) to construct DTR

4) July 16, 2002: MKVDC's permission (No KID/ADM/4891/2002) to construct dams and store water.

5) August 9, 2002: Irrigation Department, Konkan region, NOC (No 89.01/(18/2002)/U-5/3074) to construct dams and store water

6) September 23, 2002: 30-year lease agreement between MKVDC and Lake City Corporation for construction of mini-dams in the submergence of Warasgaon Dam and impounding of water for commercial use. (This agreement was brought to light by a Right to Information application by Pimpri-Chinchwad activist Maruti Sahebrao Bhapkar in December 2005)

7) December 11, 2002: Permission (No DI/Land Permission/255/2002 C-17386) from industries department to buy land for industrial purpose

8) December 13, 2002: NOC from the environment department (No ENV (NOC) 2000/765/CR.105/TC.1) for development

9) January 2, 2003: Forest department's tree-felling permission (No B/M/907/2002-03) for DTR/RFO Khanapur

10) January 10, 2003: Tree-felling permission from forest department (No 576/2002-03) for DTR/RFO, Paud

11) March 12, 2003: Land use certificate (No DDTP - Pune/Final RP Pune/Zone Cert/822) from the town-planning department

12) April 10, 2003: MKVDC permission (No PB-4/KID/91/203) to carry out preliminary works

13) July 15, 2003: Quarrying permission (No Mining/SR/391/2003) from revenue collector for Dasve

14) December 20, 2003: Irrigation Department (Konkan region) agreement to construct dams and store water

15) March 18, 2004: Environmental clearance (No ENV/cle/765/CR-105/TC.1) for project

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