Leaked CAG report indicts MP, ministers
A recently-leaked CAG report has indicted one former CM, over five state ministers and one member of Parliament with regard to
irregularities in various land allotment deals. The report, making strong observations, said that land deals were made with the allotments favouring ministers, their kin and trusts they were associated with.
One such example is the 41,300 square metre of land allotted to PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s Mumbai Education Trust (MET) in 2003 at a throwaway price of `1.55 core.
Also, the minister’s nephew and member of Parliament Sameer Bhujbal had demanded a plot measuring 91,300 square metre at Nashik which had valuable mineral deposits. As the allotment was not in accordance with rules, the finance secretary objected to it. However, in 2009, 50,000 square metre of the same land worth `9.39 crore was finally sold to the Bhujbals for paltry sum of `9.08 lakh.
Industry minister Narayan Rane’s involvement in illegal land at
Andheri, Mumbai, which was usurped by his Sindudurg Prasarak Mandal headed by his wife has not come up for hearing in the high court for some time. However, the CAG report has stated that the allotment of prime land measuring 1,719 square metre was taken on lease stating that an educational institute would be established. Instead, it was used to build the Grand Imperial Backbay hotel, which earns nothing less than `2 lakh per day.
Former CM and Union minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, already facing the heat in the Adarsh scam and the Whistling Woods scandal has also figured in the report in connection with the Manjara Education Trust scam. While there were four applicants on September 28, 2005 the then CM Vilasrao Deshmukh allotted the land worth `30 crore at Borivali to his own Manjara Education Trust for one-fifth the amount at `6 crore.
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