After a white paper on irrigation in Maharashtra provided respite to former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, accused of irregularities in the multi-crore irrigation scam, pressure is mounting on the leadership of the ruling Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to re-induct Pawar in the Maharashtra cabinet.
The White Paper, presented to the state cabinet this evening, clarified there were no irregularities in the implementation of 38 irrigation projects in the Vidarbha region. These projects were sanctioned between 1999 and 2009, when Pawar was the water resources minister.
State NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said on behalf of party members, a representation would be made to the party high command to re-induct Pawar into the state cabinet. He said the allegations against Pawar were baseless, adding this would be clear after the White Paper would be released.
A senior minister and a confidant of Pawar told Business Standard, “Ajit Pawar’s re entry into the state cabinet is a must, as the NCP ministers are simply clueless and not in a position to take any strong decision or take on Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan. The NCP’s 19 ministers unanimously said Pawar’s re induction is necessary to drive home NCP’s case on various issues. They would make a strong appeal to the NCP chief and Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar to reappoint Ajit Pawar as deputy chief minister.” The party couldn’t afford to keep Pawar out of the state cabinet, especially as it was keen to fare well in the 2014 elections.
The minister admitted a verdict by the Nagpur bench of the high court was crucial. “Ajit Pawar’s fate also depends on the outcome of the court proceedings. The Nagpur bench is expected to take up the matter soon. The Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation, the nodal agency for the implementation of the 38 irrigation projects in the region, would submit its affidavit, as directed by the court.”
In September, an irrigation scam in the state had come to the fore. V Pandhare, chief engineer in the irrigation department, levelled charges against the manner in which funds were utilised. He also demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the scam. The Opposition attacked Ajit Pawar, who stepped down as deputy chief minister on September 25.
In 2009, as Maharashtra water resources minister, Pawar cleared 38 irrigation projects worth Rs 20,000-25,000 crore, allegedly without following due procedures. After the projects were sanctioned, their costs rose and the inflated costs, too, were approved. In Vidarbha alone, the cost of 38 projects increased 300 per cent between June and August, opposition parties claimed.
In May, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan had announced a white paper would be released on the irrigation sector, based on observations in the Economic Survey. The survey had claimed despite expenditure of Rs 70,000 crore, the state’s irrigation potential had risen a paltry 0.1 per cent between 2001 and 2010. Chavan, however, said the white paper was a commitment, not an investigation report.
