CAG report tabled in Maha assembly

PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal demand probe into its "leak"

PTI | April 17, 2012



Maharashtra Government today tabled the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, which allegedly indicts senior politicians from the state, in the Legislative Assembly amidst demand for a probe by PWD Minister Chhagan Bhujbal into its "leak".

Making a personal clarification after the report was tabled by deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Bhujbal described the leak as a "conspiracy to malign individuals" and sought a probe, saying excerpts of the report that found way into the media differ from the one seen by the Cabinet.

He also questioned the authority of the federal auditor to question government's policy decisions.

Bhujbal is learnt to have been indicted by the CAG in this report.

As per the leaked excerpts, a 91,300 square metre plot in Govardhan Taluka in Nashik district worth crores of rupees was allotted to the Mumbai Education Trust (MET) after changing the purpose of reservation from mining activity to educational purpose at occupancy price of a meagre Rs 9.08 lakh. The land was allegedly transferred to MET by the PWD, a department headed by Chhagan Bhujbal.

Bhujbal told the Assembly that the Mumbai Education Trust (MET) had applied for the land in Nashik in year 2000 when he was not the PWD minister.

"The land was allotted in 2003 by the revenue department as per government norms meant for land allotment for educational institutions," he said.

Since 1975, as many as 3,160 institutions have been allotted land for educational purpose and even late BJP leader Hashu Advani was assigned the land for his educational institution under the same norms, Bhujbal said.

Leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse objected to the clarification, saying it was not needed since no allegations were made against Bhujbal on the floor of House in this regard.

He said the opposition was yet to get a copy of the CAG report.

However, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil said any member or minister can give clarification on the basis of allegations levelled outside the House.

Meanwhile, noisy scenes were witnessed in the Assembly when Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat and Industries Minister Narayan Rane rose to make clarifications on the report.

Speaker adjourned the House for 15 minutes and later for half an hour as the opposition objected to the clarifications given by the ministers.

Comments

 

Other News

India`s renewable race is moving beyond megawatts

When Shell bought Sprng Energy in 2022, India`s renewable energy market appeared to offer precisely what global energy majors were seeking: scale, growth and a place in one of the world`s largest energy transitions. Four years later, Shell is selling the same business to Aditya Birla Group for an enterpris

Nepal Floods: India keeps close watch on the situation

India`s central government has been keeping a close watch on the situation arising out of the flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday. Union home minister Amit Shah spoke with the chief ministers of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the two states that share the border with Nepal, regarding the disaster

UPI completes 10 years of digital payments revolution

The Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched on August 25, 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the regulatory oversight of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has completed 10 years of transforming digital payments in India. UPI has emerged as the backbone of India’s digi

Here’s an I.D.E.A. for career growth and success

Success in today’s professional organisation is no longer solely determined by academic qualifications, technical expertise or years of experience. While these attributes do matter, organisations increasingly value individuals who demonstrate the right mindset and behavioural qualities. The ability

PM interacts with CEOs, founders of space startups

Prime minister Narendra Modi interacted with CEOs and Founders of 20 Space Startups at Seva Teerth on Friday.   CEOs of leading companies in the space sector working in diverse fields ranging from building rockets and reusable semi-cryogenic launch vehicles, avionics, satelli

From one cow to a dairy business

In 2012, Anita Dash wasn`t dreaming of building a dairy brand. She wasn`t studying business models or planning market expansion. Like countless mothers across India, her focus was on something much simpler: giving her children a better future.   At the time, her most valuable

Upcoming Conferences



-->

Archives

Current Issue

Opinion

Facebook Twitter Google Plus Linkedin Subscribe Newsletter

Twitter