Ajit Pawar warns contractors against submitting false bills for work

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has alleged that many contractors are submitting bills and receiving money for development works without carrying them out, warning that such practices won't be tolerated.

He was speaking on Saturday at a programme in Partur in Jalna district where ex-MLA and Congress leader Suresh Jethliya joined his Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).

The deputy CM rued that the quality of development work remains substandard despite substantial government expenditure, and vowed to not let contractors join his party.

Bills are being submitted and money is withdrawn without doing work. Don't come to my party (NCP), said Pawar, who is also the state's finance minister.

He also urged government officials to do their job sincerely.

The government spends crores of rupees on salaries and pensions, yet quality work is not being done. We implemented the Seventh Pay Commission, and now we will introduce the Eighth Pay Commission. Why is responsibility not being owned (by govt officials), he asked.

Pawar cited his visit to the new collector office in Jalna to underscore his point.

I was shocked to see the shoddy work. This kind of negligence will not be tolerated, he said. Pawar also claimed that he was told not to stay at the government rest house as it was infested with mosquitoes and he had to opt for a private facility instead.

He sought to know why government and public representatives should not take responsibility and perform their duty honestly.

The deputy CM also announced financial support for theGovernment Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

GMCH officials have urged me to allocate Rs 500-800 crore for the hospital. I have given them an assurance as the hospital serves the poor and needy. Its services must be delivered efficiently, he said.

However, Pawar expressed concerns over hygiene at the hospital, condemning the practice of spitting and defacing the premises.

I have been informed that people are spitting in the hospital. Such individuals should be punished. Install CCTV cameras and catch those responsible, he directed.