The Maharashtra Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has given a clean chit to former Water Resources Development Minister and Nationalist Congres Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar in the investigation of cases of alleged irregularities in irrigation projects in Nagpur.
According to an affidavit submitted before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court, there’s no criminal liability on the part of then chairman of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) in respect of the process of granting sanction.
The 16-page affidavit, that was submitted by ACB superintendent Rashmi Nandedkar, is dated November 27, a day before the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government (Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress) was sworn in the state on November 28.
“The payment of EMD amount by the successful bidders for his competitors in some cases, issuing of tender booklets to some non-eligible bidders joint venture firms without following the pre-condition of the tenders etc. But these lapses are on the part of executing agencies of the tender work i.e Engineers, Divisional Accountant and the respective contractors. The Chairman of the VIDC/Minister of WRD cannot be held responsible for executing agencies, as there is no legal duty on his part”, the affidavit read.
The affidavit also mentioned that during the verification of nearly 302 tenders, no irregularity was found against Ajit Pawar in 17 cases.
The scam dates back to the period when the Congress-NCP government was in power in Maharashtra from 1999 to 2014. Ajit Pawar was in-charge of the state’s irrigation department when the scam, relating to alleged irregularities in various irrigation projects, took place.
In November, it was reported that Ajit Pawar got a clean chit in the irrigation case the very next day after he joined hands with BJP leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, ditching his uncle, NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
Source: dnaindia.com