Ashok Chavan now in land allotment row

Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who was sacked after his name cropped up in the Adarsh society scam, has now been accused of favouring the sons of Congress leaders while awarding a mining lease at Zharijamni in Yavatmal.

Former chief minister Ashok Chavan, who was sacked after his name cropped up in the Adarsh society scam, has now been accused of favouring the sons of Congress leaders while awarding a mining lease at Zharijamni in Yavatmal.

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Opposition leader Eknath Khadse and senior Shiv Sena legislator Subhash Desai made the allegations in the Assembly on Thursday.

They alleged that Chavan, as industries and mining minister, had chosen to give a 367-acre mineral-rich plot of unclassified forestland worth Rs 75 crore for a paltry price to Atul Thakre, son of state Congress chief Manikrao Thakre, and Pravin Kasawar, son of Yavatmal legislator, Waman Kasawar.

Desai said Thakre and Kasawar proposed to supply minerals to the Anil Ambani group-promoted Reliance Cementation at Zharijamni where the group is setting up a Rs 500-crore cement factory with a captive power plant.

The Yavatmal district collectorate has not given the duo any permission for mining at Zharijamni. Thakre and Kasawar roped in Chandrapur-based Taj Limestone Industry to provide technical expertise. “The government gave Taj a block [of land] although it

did not apply for it,” Desai alleged.

Desai and Khadse also alleged that Chavan ensured that the applications of the state-owned Maharashtra State Mining Corporation, state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar, Ambuja Cement, Dhariwal Infrastructure, Emami Cement and Tata Metalics were rejected.

All procedures were followed: Chavan

Chavan said all procedures were maintained while issuing the letter of intent.

“I would not like to comment more. You can get all the information with the help of the Right To Information,” he said. Manikrao Thakre denied that he had used his political influence to get land for his son.

“My son applied for the mining lease when I was neither an MLA nor state Congress chief,” he said.

“My son has only got the letter of intent. The mining lease is yet to be awarded.”

The duo had, after receiving the letters of intent in October 2009, sought a six-month extension to get all clearances.

“The land is still with the government because they have not fulfilled the formalities. I don’t know whether they have applied for further extension,” Sanjay Deshmukh, collector of Yavatmal, said.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan did not comment on the case when he was replying to a debate on corruption in various sectors in the state.

Khadse and Desai asked the government to cancel the deal.