Pune: Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar’s claim that the estimated cost of the Purandar lift irrigation scheme was inflated by Rs110 crore during the BJP-Shiv Sena govt (1995-99) to generate party funds has kicked up a political storm, drawing sharp reactions from allies and opponents alike.Addressing his final press conference for the civic poll campaign on Tuesday, Ajit Pawar said after the change of govt in 1999, when he took charge as irrigation minister and headed the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation, senior officials flagged irregularities in the scheme.
“I asked the department concerned to carry out a re-estimation and the project cost, which was earlier finalised at Rs330 crore, was revised to Rs 220 crore,” he said. He alleged that when he questioned officials about the difference, they told him they were asked to add Rs100 crore to the approved estimate to raise party funds, while another Rs10 crore was allegedly inflated by the officials themselves to siphon it off. Ajit Pawar said he had files and documents to support his allegations.The deputy CM further said though some people advised him to initiate legal action at the time, he chose not to pursue the matter. “If I had revealed it then, it would have caused an uproar as there was documentary evidence with signatures of the people concerned,” he said.Reacting to the allegations, then irrigation minister Eknath Khadse, who was with BJP during that period, said he was unaware of any such irregularities and questioned Ajit Pawar’s decision to raise the issue after 26 years. “If he knew about the corruption and chose not to disclose it, it amounts to shielding it. He is now part of the govt and should open the file and order an investigation,” Khadse, who quit BJP a few years ago, told reporters in Jalgaon on Wednesday.Senior BJP member and minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the allegations would carry some credibility if they were made in 1999, but now it serves little purpose. “This is not something one would expect from Ajit Pawar,” he said.The issue was not an isolated case, Congress politician Vijay Wadettiwar said and added that such corruption continues even today, though the faces involved and the methods used have changed.Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said the incident raised serious questions about the inaction of the anti-corruption bureau and the Election Commission. “Since he claims to have evidence, Ajit Pawar should come out in the open and place all the details before the public,” he said.Adding to the controversy, Vijay Pandhare, a former member of the state technical committee that was responsible for reviewing irrigation project estimates, said Ajit Pawar’s allegations were true and that corruption in the irrigation department was widespread. “There are more than 100 projects across the state where similar irregularities occurred. Despite complaints to the officials concerned, no action was taken,” Pandhare told TOI.The Purandar lift irrigation scheme was launched by the state govt to draw water from the Mula, Mutha and Pavana rivers to irrigate drought-prone areas in Pune district, which included Purandar, Baramati and Haveli.
