‘Have not resigned from state Cabinet’

State minister for employment guarantee and water conservation Nitin Raut, on Monday, denied the rumours of his resignation from the state Cabinet.

State minister for employment guarantee and water conservation Nitin Raut, on Monday, denied the rumours of his resignation from the state Cabinet.

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The buzz was that Raut had quit the state Cabinet on the eve of the monsoon session of the state legislature as mark of protest against the delay in regularising the alleged encroachment on public utility land in his Assembly constituency at Bezonbagh in north Nagpur.

Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had refused to legalise the encroachment, as the matter was sub-judice.

Raut said, “I have not resigned, but expressed the sentiments of the people from my constituency on the issue.”

The sudden development, on Sunday, had sparked political activity in the second capital, with Raut’s supporters gathering at his residence and staging a protest.

The 80.90-acre plot in contention originally belonged to the Empress Mills, which had reserved it to provide housing facility to their workers.

The land was later taken over by the state and a layout plan was proposed by the Empress Mills’ Workers Housing Society.

It is mandatory to earmark 15% as open space and 5% as public utility space The 20% land was allegedly encroached upon by Raut and other influential people, and the minister wants to regularise it.

Responding to a public interest litigation (PIL), a high court division bench had last year directed the state to take necessary action.