NCP may seek judicial probe to keep SIT at bay

Written By Unknown on Senin, 17 Desember 2012 | 22.23

MUMBAI: In a politically strategic move, the NCP has decided to submit a proposal for a high-level judicial probe into the multi-crore irrigation scam in the state to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan.

Although Chavan declined comment, a senior Congress minister told TOI on Sunday that the NCP had sought legal opinion on entrusting the probe to a panel set up under the Commission of Inquiry Act to end the week-long stalemate over the scandal in both houses of the state legislature.

The minister pointed out that six public interest litigations against deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and water resources minister Sunil Tatkare were pending before the Bombay high court, while leader of opposition Eknath Khadse is in the process of filing two more PILs on gross misuse of power and corruption in the irrigation department.

"The NCP fears that the court may order setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) or entrust the probe to the CBI as urged by the petitioners. In that event, the NCP will be at the receiving end. To avoid such a situation, the NCP itself will propose a judicial probe. If the proposal is accepted, then it will inform the court accordingly. In that event, the chances of setting up a SIT will be lower,'' the minister said.

Ajit Pawar had quit the government on September 26 on moral grounds in the wake of a series of reports in TOI on rampant corruption, irregularities and massive cost escalations in key irrigation projects in the Vidarbha region. Chavan had then ordered a high-level departmental probe against 45 senior officials of the irrigation department led by its secretary D P Shirke. While Shirke was shunted out immediately, show-cause notices were served to the 45 engineers. The main charge against Pawar was that the cost escalations were uncalled for and that the water resources department had illegally given a huge mobilization advance to contractors of his choice.

However, on November 28, when the white paper on the status of irrigation projects was presented to the cabinet, Pawar was seemingly given a clean chit with the department justifying cost escalations and mobilization advances. A week after the white paper was submitted, Pawar was re-inducted into the cabinet as deputy chief minister.

Since then, opposition members have been gunning for a probe by a special investigation team and demanded that the government file a first information report against Pawar, Tatkare and officials of the water resources department for corruption. While the winter session of the state legislature began at Nagpur on December 10, BJP and Shiv Sena members have successfully stalled the proceedings in both houses to press for their demands.


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