Uddhav Thackeray govt revokes four apmc posts

Mumbai: In a reversal of the former BJP-led state government’s decision, the Shiv Sena-led MVA government has decided to revoke the posts of four invitee expert directors in the Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC). Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray took the decision in a cabinet meeting held at Mantralaya Tuesday.

According to officials, those who lost the APMC election for the post of director got a backdoor entry through a provision added by the former Devendra Fadnavis-led government in the APMC (Development and Regulation) Act, 1963.

After the 2014 Assembly election, the then chief minister, Mr Fadnavis, amended the APMC Act, 1963, by adding a provision in section 13 which entrusted power to the state government to appoint four special invitees as directors in every market committee which had an income of over `5crore from the fees levied and collections.

The provision also gave power to the government to appoint two special invitees in the APMCs that had an income up to `5 crore. The experts could be from the fields of agriculture, agriculture processing, agriculture marketing, law, economics or commerce.

The then Opposition parties — Congress and NCP — alleged that the Fadnavis government’s move was an attempt to wrest control of the APMCs as the BJP could not win the internal elections. Incidentally, both the Congress and NCP have a hold on the APMCs across the state.

An official said that an ordinance to delete the amendments brought by the Fadnavis government will be sent for promulgation to governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari. The government will bring the bill for the same in the upcoming budget session.

According to the CMO, the Cabinet has decided to repeal the special invitee (expert director).

In order to repeal the appointment of expert directors, a provision in the APMC Act will also be deleted.