Within Eighty hours, then CM Fadnavis gifts a clean chit to Ajit Pawar in irrigation scam

Highlights

# The ACB in it’s latest affidavit has given clean chit to Ajit Pawar

# The ACB submitted affidavit to Nagpur Bench of Bombay High Court

# Ajit Pawar was alleged in multi crore scam in irrigation projects.

Mumbai: It might be question for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) about what the party get benefit from taking risk to form the unstable government which was lasted for 80 hours. But, certainly, Ajit Pawar, the then deputy chief minister in 80 hours government led by then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, is the only beneficiary of that government. Fadnavis had given instructions to Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) to close files related to irrigation scam in which Pawar was alleged involved.:

The ACB, on November 27, submitted an affidavit before the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court, stating that Ajit Pawar cannot be held responsible for acts as an executing agencies as there is no legal duty on his part. The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader – Pawar was chairman of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC). 

The scam dates back when Pawar was irrigation minister in Congress-NCP coalition government. It was alleged that Pawar had awarded projects at inflated rates.

Interestingly, the ACB has submitted the said affidavit on a day just before the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress was sworn in the state on November 28.

The latest affidavit states that as regards to granting of sanction to the liability of the tender cost including that of updated cost, it is revealed during the course of enquiry, investigation that “only note sheets for grant of liability of the tender cost were sent to the chairman of the Corporation by the executive director of the VIDC.”

The affidavit further stated “In most of the cases the executive director of the VIDC has accorded permission to the updated cost of the tender work, being within five percent of updated cost, as he is empowered to accept the tender up to five percent above the cost.”

“The proposals for acceptance of the liability for the entire tender cost were being submitted to the Chairman with the recommendation of the executive director. In some cases, the recommendations were also given by the Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department who is ex-officio managing director of the Corporation,” the affidavit stated.

“But, neither the executive director nor the managing director, have ever given negative remarks on the note-sheets for the same. There ia no evidence on record to say that the secretary of the department had briefed the minister of Water Resources Department about not accepting the liability of the tender work,” the affidavit stated.

Meanwhile, a few years back, former ACB chief Sanjay Barve had filed an affidavit in the court which had stated that in the Gosikhurd and Jigaon irrigation project, Ajit Pawar had signed extension of tenders himself. However, in latest affidavit, it has been stated that the due process of filing through the VIDC was followed and hence Sanjay Barve’s observations were rejected.