Politicians land themselves on self-created slippery pitch

Almost 48 hours after additional collector Yashwant Sonawane was set on fire by local goons at Manmad in Nashik, home minister RR Patil was complaining in hushed tones how his police force is not adequately empowered to suo moto conduct raids against the oil mafia, and that only the revenue department can enable the police to take action. On his part, minister for food and civil supplies Anil Deshmukh went the extra mile in image-building to wipe off the scars left by the incident, while chief minister Prithviraj Chavan issued a stern warning to the administration to get cracking against the culprits.

But none of the ministers in the cabinet could satisfactorily address the public outcry against the growing lawlessness in the state. Why?

Govt losing control
A senior Congress cabinet minister admitted, “I am worried the administration is slipping out of our hands. It is very disturbing and also shows the deep-rooted decay in the system.”

According to BJP general secretary Vinod Tawde, “If the chief minister is determined, he can expose the criminals.  To begin with, a global processing system (GPS) and global information system (GIS)  is needed to monitor oil tanker movement as soon as they leave the oil company to ensure there is no adulteration en route.”

During the NDA regime, when Ram Naik was the oil and petroleum minister, flying squads were set up to conduct surprise raids at various oil depots and petrol pumps to check for adulteration. But the UPA government scrapped the squads without explanation.

The nexus between politicians and the oil mafia is an open secret. The police and bureaucrats remain silent spectators because they are aware of the political patronage accorded to the oil mafia. A senior bureaucrat said, “Whether it is a minister, MLA, corporator or party leader, anybody who owns a chain of petrol pumps is aware of the adulteration in the petrol and diesel that brings rich dividends.”

 Big revenue
A tank of kerosene mixed with petrol can fetch one an additional income of Rs5 lakh. Citing an example, the bureaucrat said, “A big industrial house places an order for 3,000 tonnes of furnace oil. If 500 tonnes is replaced with sludge oil unloaded at JNPT, who would challenge it? But imagine the profit earned. The cost of sludge oil (recycled), inclusive of custom duty, works out at Rs4 per litre. Whereas the furnace oil sold in the market cost Rs27 per litre.”

Shortly after taking charge of food and civil supplies, Anil Deshmukh conducted a raid at Igatpuri to show he is cracking the whip. But Deshmukh’s ministry amended the policy, exempting furnace oil from the raids on January 24. A day later, Sonawane became a victim of the oil mafia.

Despite the ghastly act, the government has failed to nab the bigger players who actually remote-control the oil mafia operations . Whether it is in Nashik, Pune, Nandurbar, Bhusawal, Akola, Dhule, Navimumbai, Sindhudurg or Ratnagiri, the petrol pumps are run by politician families or associates. The mixing of sludge oil or kerosene in petrol is done by contractors who get protection from political masters for providing them with a sustained income.

Senior BJP leader and former home minister Gopinath Munde said, “It clearly points to the failure of law and order in state. The administration is losing its control over the criminals who are overpowering the system.”

Insiders in the Congress and NCP reveal, “Powerful ministers often hands over the contracts in key sectors to their henchmen who are either affiliated to the party or well-connected with the operators. Since they become the fundraisers for the party and the minister, they overpower the administration by dictating the posting of the police and revenue officials in their respective regions.”