By IANS,
Thane (Maharashtra) : Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan Sunday confirmed that he has ordered a probe against 45 officials of the Vidharbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) for their involvement in the alleged scam.
Speaking at a function here, Chavan, however, denied that ordering the probe took over two years. He said the process took time as the government had to conduct its own inquiry before formally ordering a probe.
A one-man committee, comprising retired bureaucrat Nandkumar Vadnere, was set up in March 2010 that probed the excessive charges in some contracts. Vadnere also inquired into reports of cost escalation and the official-contractor-politician nexus in approving irrigation projects.
Many engineers, including VIDC’s former chief executive director D.P. Shirke, will now face a probe on several counts, including not supervising works on site and not following tender conditions.
Chavan met union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and his former deputy, Ajit Pawar, in the last two days. Asked about the meeting, Chavan said they discussed “issues relating to the state and the centre”.
Last month, Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar quit as the deputy chief minister after his name cropped up for alleged irregularities in the irrigation department, which he headed between 1999 and 2009.