CM still owns flat he was to surrender
Despite offering to surrender the Wadala flat that he acquired under the chief minister's discretionary quota after allegations of irregularity, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan hasn't done so. Dharmendra Jore reports.
Despite offering to surrender the Wadala flat that he acquired under the chief minister's discretionary quota after allegations of irregularity, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan hasn't done so.
Chavan filed his nomination for the legislative council bypolls on Thursday and declared movable and immovable assets worth Rs6.81 crore, including those of his wife Satvasheela pegged at Rs42,27,810.
Chavan's affidavit confirmed that he still owned the controversial 1,032 sqft flat at Bhakti Park in Wadala.
Chavan, who took charge of the chief minister's post from Ashok Chavan after the Adarsh housing society scam, faced the first charge of irregularity in this case.
Then Chavan had told the Hindustan Times that he would surrender the flat to the state government following allegations that he had showed “wrong income” while getting the property from the chief minister’s discretionary quota for the economically weaker section.
The flat was first allotted to his mother and former Congress parliamentarian Premilatai Chavan, but after her death the government passed it on to Chavan.
In his affidavit, Chavan made it clear that he had not inherited the flat, but purchased it from Anik Development Corporation, Bhakti Park, in July 2003. Its market price is pegged at Rs52 lakh.
Activist Anil Galgali, who had exposed the irregularity in the using the Right To Information Act, said Chavan should clarify. “He had earlier said that he did not know the rules and wanted to surrender the flat. I have asked his office twice about this, but I have not got a reply, so far.”
Chavan was unavailable for comment.