Senior Congress leader and CLP Leader of Maharashtra Congress Vijay Wadettiwar asked whether the Mahayuti government is supporting the graft and irregularities.
Mumbai: The BJP -led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has got itself into a controversy due to a GR (government resolution) issued by its tribal development department (TDD). As per the order of TDD, the department has removed 34 suppliers/organisations from the blacklisted suppliers list of 105. These suppliers were blacklisted by a five-member inquiry committee headed by retired Justice M.G. Gaikwad in 2017 following the High Court’s order.
Senior Congress leader and CLP Leader of Maharashtra Congress Vijay Wadettiwar asked whether the Mahayuti government is supporting the graft and irregularities.
The issue of irregularities in the implementation of the tribal schemes tarted in the state more than 15 years ago. Many welfare schemes were implemented by the TDD for the tribal population in the state from 2004–2005 to 2008–2009. In 2012, Bahiram Popatrao Motiram and Gulab Tanaji Pawar had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) alleging irregularities in the implementation of these schemes. Following the issues raised in the PIL, the TDD had constituted a five-member inquiry committee headed by retired Justice M.G. Gaikwad of the Bombay High Court on April 15, 2014. The Gaikwad committee submitted the inquiry report to the government on January 30, 2017, and to the High Court on January 31, 2017.
As per the recommendations of the Gaikwad committee, 105 private suppliers/organisations were found to have misused various schemes of the TDD. Considering the report, the High Court (HC) directed the state government to immediately blacklist these suppliers/organisations.
Following the HC’s direction, the state government initially blacklisted all 105 private suppliers and institutions.
However, the GR said that the Commissioner of the Tribal Research and Training Institute (TRTI) personally visited all Additional Commissioner offices and the Tribal Development Corporation in Nashik for the verification of documents. He also sought feedback from project offices and Additional Commissioner offices. The Commissioner submitted a report to the state government in connection with the blacklisted 105 suppliers/organisations.
The GR said that at the end of the investigation, the Commissioner’s office said that 34 suppliers/organisations have been found implementing the schemes properly. There are no outstanding recoveries left with them and 'C summary' reports had been submitted in connection with their FIRs in courts. Accordingly, 34 suppliers were removed from the blacklist.
Officials said that the TDD has accepted the recommendation from the Commissioner of the Tribal Research and Training Institute (Pune) and issued the GR for removal of these 34 suppliers from the blacklist.
Accusing the BJP of trying to protect corrupt contractors, Mr Wadettiwar said, “The Gaikwad committee had asked the government to blacklist 105 suppliers, which are involved in the irregularities while implementing the schemes. The BJP minister-led tribal department removed names of 34 suppliers from the blacklist. It raises the question ifthe BJP is supporting corruption and irregularities.”
