Now, Deshmukh points finger at Ashok Chavan

Former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh on Wednesday maintained his previous day’s position that he wasn’t well-informed on Adarsh and said Ashok Chavan, the then revenue minister, and senior officers did not adequately keep him posted on land allotment issues.

Former Maharashtra CM Vilasrao Deshmukh on Wednesday maintained his previous day’s position that he wasn’t well-informed on Adarsh and said Ashok Chavan, the then revenue minister, and senior officers did not adequately keep him posted on land allotment issues.

HT Image

On Tuesday Deshmukh had told the panel the land was allotted after a go-ahead from the revenue department.

In a letter to him in 2000, the members of the Adarsh Society had said the army was in possession of the land, which it was willing to give to the society.

Deshmukh had then asked his revenue minster to verify the details. However, this, according to him, was not done.

“I made a remark on the letter to the revenue minister to process it and put it up. The revenue minister did not get back to me on the issue,” Deshmukh told the two-member Adarsh Commission.

Deshmukh said the society in the same letter had shown willingness to leave 10-15 feet for road widening.

This was also referred to the revenue department. However, the department did not revert.

Deshmukh said the letter of intent to the Adarsh Society was approved and signed by him and the revenue minister. However, on Tuesday Deshmukh had told the commission he hadn’t been correctly informed about the status of the land sought by the Adarsh Society.

“It was never brought to my notice that the land in question was in the possession of the local military authority. Nobody brought to my notice that a garden called Kukree Park was existing on the land in question.”