Sack Maha minister for denotifying industrial land: Congress

Senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil today demanded the sacking of state Industries Minister Subhash Desai accusing him of irregularities in denotifying industrial land.

In a statement issued today, Vikhe Patil said that the KP Bakshi Committee, which probed the allegations, had said that denotifying land ((removing it from reservation for industrial development) was in violation of rules.

The Bakshi Committee report was tabled on the last day of the Budget session of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly which ended last week.

The Leader of Opposition in the Assembly said that between 2015-17, a total of 14,219 hectare land was notified.

Later, Vikhe Patil claimed, giving farmers' opposition as a reason, the state denotified 12,429 hectares, which comprised 90 per cent of the land earlier notified.

Vikhe Patil alleged that some land was also given to a Mumbai-based real estate developer, adding that Desai did not have the moral right to continue as minister.

The Bakshi committee probed denotification of prime industrial lands in Igatpuri in Nashik district from 2002 to 2017. It found that there were 160 cases where the land was de-notified.

Dhananjay Munde, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, today condemned what he claimed was the government's attempt to create a perception that the Bakshi Committee had given Desai a clean chit.