Tendering Shadows – Part III: The Missing Answers

Rite Water’s rise, Pathak’s silence, and the unanswered questions behind Maharashtra’s solar-pump empire

X: @vivekbhavsar

1. Introduction — When Silence Becomes the Answer

Over ten days, TheNews21 sought clarifications from Vishwas V. Pathak — a director on Maharashtra’s state-owned power companies and a shareholder in Rite Water Solutions (India) Ltd — on matters central to public accountability.

Despite a formal verification request issued on 17 October 2025, reminders, and a clear deadline of 21 October 2025 (EoD IST), neither Mr Pathak nor his legal representatives provided factual responses.

Silence, when offered instead of transparency, speaks louder than words. It leaves a public record of unanswered questions — and those questions now define the next chapter of this investigation.

Also Read: Tendering Shadows: How Maharashtra’s Solar Pump Scheme Risks Becoming a Cartel’s Playground

2. The Paper Trail Speaks

Official records accessed from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) and corroborated through internal documents and sources within the energy department outline a clear chronology:

• 2004 → 2012: Nagpur Aquatech Private Limited becomes Rite Water Solutions (India) Private Limited.
• 2012 → 2013: Vishwas V. Pathak appears as a director; cessation dated 1 October 2013.
• 2013 → 2024: The company expands rapidly in Maharashtra’s water-treatment and solar-pump sectors.
• 26 November 2024: Converted to a public limited company, Rite Water Solutions (India) Ltd, with authorised capital ₹22 crore and paid-up ₹14.76 crore.

MCA extracts record shareholding of Vishwas Pathak and Omkar Pathak, though the precise quantum remains undisclosed due to their refusal to provide documentary confirmation.

Tender allocation details cited in this report were obtained from insiders familiar with MahaDiscom’s procurement process and verified against internal lists used during the Krushi Pump Yojana tender review — as first detailed in Part II of this series. Formal RTI requests have since been filed with MahaDiscom to seek official confirmation of those figures.

Also Read: Tendering Shadows – Part II: The Power Insider — Rite Water Solutions and the Vishwas Pathak Connection

3. The Overlap — Public Office and Private Interest

During the same period, Mr Pathak held or was re-appointed to senior positions on the boards of:

• MSEB Holding Co. Ltd
• Maharashtra State Power Generation Co. Ltd (MahaGenco)
• Maharashtra State Electricity Transmission Co. Ltd (MahaTransco)
• Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd (MSEDCL)

Each of these entities has awarded or evaluated tenders where Rite Water Solutions or its consortium partners participated directly or indirectly.

The proximity between decision-making authority and commercial beneficiary demands scrutiny under the definitions of conflict of interest and office of profit in Article 191 of the Constitution.

4. The Scheme at the Centre — Magel Tyala Krushi Saur Pump Yojana

The Magel Tyala Krushi Pump Yojana (MTKSPY) was conceived to empower farmers through subsidised solar pumps.

However, tender patterns uncovered by TheNews21 show striking concentration:

• A handful of firms — including Shakti Pumps, GK Company, Oswal, Rite Water Solutions and Compton — dominated successive phases.
• Contract values escalated 30–40 percent above departmental estimates, raising questions of cartelisation and bid manipulation.
• Sources confirm internal discussions within MahaDiscom on whether eligibility criteria were custom-tailored to favour a few pre-identified bidders.

The unanswered question: Was there a duty of recusal for any board member with shareholding or related interests in a beneficiary firm?

That is precisely what Mr Pathak was asked to clarify — and what he chose not to.

Also Read: TheNews21 Seeks Clarifications from Rite Water and Vishwas Pathak on Governance and Tender Links

5. Conflict-of-Interest Protocols — Missing or Ignored?

Under the Companies Act 2013, directors of government companies must:

• File annual Section 184 declarations of interest;
• Ensure entries are maintained in Section 189 Register of Contracts;
• Recuse themselves when a related party or interest is under board consideration.

Our RTI requests (pending with the four power PSUs) specifically seek:

• Copies of Mr Pathak’s disclosures since 2012;
• Extracts of board minutes where recusal was recorded;
• Conflict-of-interest policies in force.

If these records confirm no recusal or declaration, the lapse is institutional; if they exist yet remain undisclosed, the secrecy itself is troubling.

6. What Rite Water Won — A Record of State Contracts

Procurement data reviewed by TheNews21 indicates that since 2012, Rite Water Solutions has secured or executed:

• Projects under MahaDiscom, MEDA and State Water & Sanitation Mission;
• Rural drinking-water and filtration installations;
• Solar-pump clusters under PoCRA-linked and Jal Jeevan Mission tenders.

Each of these contracts draws on public funds — and therefore invites public scrutiny.

Yet neither the company nor Mr Pathak has disclosed his continuing financial interest, if any, despite ample opportunity.

7. The Silence and Its Meaning

When public servants or directors decline to clarify their interests, they invite speculation where transparency would have sufficed.

Mr Pathak’s choice to delegate all interaction to “his lawyers” without providing facts turns a factual verification into a matter of accountability.

As of 21 October 2025, the record shows:

• Queries sent: 17 October
• Reply received: 18 October — “Engaged lawyers, interact with them.”
• No factual response despite deadline and reminders.

In investigative chronology, that constitutes constructive non-cooperation — and becomes a legitimate part of the story itself.

Additional Record of Conduct

Despite repeated written requests, Mr Pathak did not share the contact details of his newly appointed legal counsel. Rite Water’s Company Secretary, Mr Amit Ahuja, in his reply dated 21 October 2025, refused to furnish the specific information sought and instead accused TheNews21 of acting with mala fide intent. Further, Mr Pathak attempted indirect communication through a journalist acquaintance and later placed a direct call to the author, which was not answered in order to maintain professional distance and preserve the integrity of the verification process. These actions — taken in place of factual clarifications — are recorded here for transparency.

8. The Systemic Question — Who Guards the Guardians?

The larger issue transcends one director or one company. Maharashtra’s public utilities control multi-thousand-crore infrastructure programmes. Yet, conflict-disclosure frameworks remain opaque, board minutes inaccessible, and director declarations treated as confidential.

If genuine reform is to follow, these records must be digitised, searchable and publicly available — just as tender notices are. Transparency in public finance is not defamation; it is democracy’s insurance policy.

9. The Way Forward

TheNews21 has filed RTIs to each of the four PSUs requesting official extracts. A separate query to Rite Water Solutions seeks shareholding registers, PAS-3 filings and board-minute references. Any responses will be published verbatim under the principle of fair disclosure.

Until then, the story rests not on accusation but on verified filings, insider disclosures and an unanswered questionnaire.

10. Truth Awaits an Answer

In governance, denial without disclosure is not transparency. When public institutions build solar farms under the sun, their directors too must stand in the light.

The silence of Mr Vishwas Pathak is now part of Maharashtra’s public record. Whether institutions act upon it will decide whether Tendering Shadows ends as an exposé — or as a turning point in how this state confronts conflicts of interest.

Annexure — Questions Sent for Verification

(E-mail dated 17 October 2025, deadline 21 October 2025 EoD IST)

To Vishwas V. Pathak

1. Please confirm exact dates of appointment and cessation as Director on MSEB Holding, MahaGenco, MahaTransco and MahaDiscom.
2. Please clarify current shareholding (including family members) in Rite Water Solutions (India) Ltd.
3. Did you ever recuse yourself from board discussions relating to contracts awarded to Rite Water Solutions?
4. Do you believe this constitutes a conflict of interest or an “office of profit” under Article 191 of the Constitution?

To Rite Water Solutions (India) Ltd

1. Kindly share list of projects/tenders awarded since 2012 by MSEDCL, MEDA and the State Water & Sanitation Mission.
2. Specify whether Mr Vishwas Vasant Pathak held any position or advisory role during those tenders.
3. Has the company ever disclosed to bidding authorities that a shareholder is a Director on state-owned utilities?
4. Kindly confirm the current shareholding structure (as of FY 2023-24)