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Four tehsildars among ten officials suspended over illegal excavation in Pune’s Maval; minister orders strict action
According to the department, mining licences were approved for Gat numbers 36, 37 and 38, but temporary excavation was found in Gat numbers 35, 41, 42 and 46 as well
Pune: The Maharashtra government has suspended nine revenue officials, including four tehsildars, over large-scale illegal excavation of minor minerals in Pune district’s Maval tehsil, where excavation exceeded permitted limits by 90,000 brass. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced the action in the state assembly on Friday, after an ETS (electronic total station) survey confirmed massive irregularities in land parcels reserved in the proposed development plan for private afforestation.
The suspensions follow a calling-attention motion moved by Maval MLA Sunil Shelke, who alleged that senior officials, including an additional district collector, supplied misleading information and shielded those involved in the unauthorised excavation for nearly eight months. According to the department, mining licences were approved for Gat numbers 36, 37 and 38, but temporary excavation was found in Gat numbers 35, 41, 42 and 46 as well.
The ETS survey revealed that against the sanctioned 3.63 lakh brass, a total of 4.54 lakh brass was extracted—an excess of 90,000 brass. Minister Bawankule said criminal proceedings and revenue action will be initiated, including registration of offences, recovery of penalties, and entries on land records, with unpaid fines to be collected with interest.
Those suspended for dereliction of duty include tehsildars Jogendra Katiyar, Manjeet Desai, Madhusudan Barge and Vikram Deshmukh; circle officers Sandeep Borkar, Manik Sable, Ajay Sonawane and Ramesh Kadam; and talathis Dipali Sangar and Gajanan Sotapalliwar.
Responding to Shelke’s allegation that excavation occurred on land reserved for afforestation, Bawankule said, “The land in question was privately owned and not classified as a forest zone, with only 15 trees—cut with due permission—visible in satellite imagery. Forest officials had given written confirmation that the area was not a notified forest.”
However, he said the land appears as reserved for private afforestation in the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (PMRDA) proposed development plan, and offered to hold a separate meeting if additional information is provided.
The minister said departmental inquiries against the suspended officials would be completed within three months and the report would be tabled in the next assembly session. He stated that an ETS survey is underway across all districts, talukas and villages in Maharashtra to identify illegal excavation and enforce accountability statewide.
