Former IPS officer alleges land grab by Pawar, family

October 19, 2012
Former_IPS

Mumbai, October 19: Former IPS officer turned lawyer cum activist Y P Singh, on Thursday, launched a frontal attack on Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, his daughter Supriya Sule and nephew Ajit Pawar, charging them of usurping hills near Pune at dirt-cheap price to construct ultra-swanky Lavasa township.

In a packed press conference, Singh presented documents to substantiate his allegations interspersed with caustic remarks against India Against Corruption (IAC) key member Arvind Kejriwal, whom he subtly compared with 'German dictator Adolf Hitler.'

However, at the outset, Singh clarified that the conference was not called 'to attack Kejriwal but to expose an important scam involving Pawar family in the construction of Lavasa spread over 3,000 acres and reportedly involving an investment of Rs 3,000 crore.

Brandishing documents procured through RTI, Singh said that scrutiny of papers reveal that former Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, under the guise of irrigation project, first allotted 341 acres of land to real estate firm 'at throwaway prices,' on 30 years’ lease for just Rs 23,000 a month.

“And who were the beneficiaries? The beneficiaries were Ajit Pawar's cousin and Sharad Pawar's daughter Supriya Sule and her husband Sadanand Sule... 20.81 per cent shares belonged to Supriya and Sadanand in Lake City Corp formed to construct Lavasa....which means Supriya had at least 10.4 per cent shares...and Ajit Pawar had given this land almost free to the company... All this in the name of irrigation project.”

Singh, who has been waging a legal battle for activists, including Medha Patkar, against the construction of Lavasa township for the past several years, traced the history of the controversial manicured hill-township, alleging that in 2002 the then Principal Secretary of the Revenue Department Ramesh Kumar (IAS) had questioned the transaction, demanding an inquiry into the matter. Strangely, the then Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, after tom-tomming about the inquiry in public quietly buried the case.

“In 2006, Supriya and Sadanand sold their stake in the company which later became Lavasa Corporation and in 2009 when Supriya had to declare her assets as a Member of Parliament, she informed that she was worth Rs 15 crore...this figure cannot be correct as Axis Bank in its evaluation of Lavasa Corporation had pegged its value at Rs 10,000 crore which would mean her 10 per cent and her husband's 10 per cent would be probably worth several hundred crores...and if this is true then it reeks of a huge money-laundering exercise,' Singh argued.

Singh pointed out: “...there are several things we have uncovered recently. In 2009, Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar met senior bureaucrats at a guesthouse within Lavasa township. And our information indicates that the Lavasa Corporation was allowed to add floors to the buildings by granting them extra FSI (floor space index.) The question here is under what jurisdiction Union Agriculture Minister met state bureaucrats?

“Thereafter, Sharad Pawar along with his nephew Ajit met the then Chief Minister along with some bureaucrats, wherein it was decided to grant Lavasa a global floating FSI...and Ajit was the irrigation minister at the time. And despite my providing all these facts to Kejriwal...he has not bothered to highlight them and, thus, this press conference,” he said


Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
June 24,2020

New Delhi, Jun 24: In a stinging attack on the Gandhi family of the Congress, BJP president J P Nadda on Wednesday said a dynasty and its courtiers have "grand delusions" of the opposition being about itself and stated that a "rejected and ejected" family is not equal to the entire opposition.

In his tweets, Nadda said it was the time for unity and solidarity, and the "relaunch of the scion for the nth time can wait", an apparent dig at Rahul Gandhi, who has been aggressive in his attacks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his handling of the border row with China.

Nadda said India lost thousands of square kilometres of land due to the "misadventures of one dynasty" and claimed that the Siachen glacier, where the Indian Army has a strong presence, was almost gone. No wonder India has rejected them, he said.'

The BJP president posted a news report to back his assertions about Siachen.

"One 'royal' dynasty and their 'loyal' courtiers have grand delusions of the Opposition being about one dynasty. A dynast throws tantrums and his courtiers peddle that fake narrative. The latest one relates to the Opposition asking questions to the Government," Nadda said.

Though he did not directly name the Gandhi family or any of its members, the reference was clear.

He said it was the opposition's right to ask questions and added that the all-party meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi saw healthy deliberations, with several opposition leaders giving their valuable inputs.

They also fully supported the Centre in determining the way ahead, Nadda said.

"One family was an exception. Any guesses who," he asked.

Targeting the Gandhis, the BJP president said, "One rejected and ejected dynasty is NOT equal to the entire Opposition. One dynasty's interests are not India's interests. Today, the nation is united and supportive of our armed forces. This is the time for unity and solidarity. Relaunch of 'the scion' for the nth time can wait."

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
March 26,2020

Panaji, Mar 26: Three persons, all with travel history abroad, tested positive for coronavirus in Goa on Wednesday, health department officials said, as the tourist haven joined the states which have reported COVID-19 cases.

This is the first time the tourist state has reported coronavirus positive cases.

The Directorate of Health Services, in a late night press statement here, said three suspected cases of COVID-19 from Goa, whose test results were awaited, have turned out positive.

All three are male patients of ages 25, 29 and 55 years. They have travel history of returning to Goa from Spain, Australia and the USA, respectively, the officials said.

The condition of the trio, admitted in Goa Medical College and Hospital near here, is stable, the officials added.

Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the state is providing the best healthcare facility to the diagnosed patients.

I have been informed by the state Directorate of Health services that three individuals have been tested positive for #COVID19 in Goa.

"We are providing the best healthcare facility to the diagnosed patients, he said.

Their condition is stable at present. e have also traced their contacts and are quarantining them, Sawant added.

Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said the government is taking all precautions and following guidelines related to the viral infection.

In view of the three positive coronavirus cases in Goa, we are following all guidelines laid down by the central government and taking all precautions with the support of chief minister Pramod Sawant, he said.

Our testing facility will be up and running in the next two days. Our team of doctors is doing its est to make sure we contain the spread of virus in the state, Rane added.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 28,2020

New Delhi, May 28: With 6,566 more coronavirus cases and 194 deaths reported in the past 24 hours, India's COVID-19 tally reached 1,58,333 on Thursday, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Affairs.

The number of active coronavirus cases stands at 86,110, while 67,692 people have recovered and one patient has migrated, it said. The death toll due to the infection has reached 4,531 in the country.

Maharashtra is the worst affected state with 56,948 cases. Tamil Nadu has recorded as many as 18,545 cases while Gujarat and Delhi have recorded 15,195 and 15,257 coronavirus cases respectively.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.