• Source:JND
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Maharashtra Land Deal Scam: Days after a firm linked to his son, Parth Pawar, faced allegations of involvement in an illegal land deal, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the Finance Ministry, reacted to the controversy, saying the deal was scrapped and a fair probe should be conducted.

"The controversial land deal in Pune has been scrapped," he said, adding that a probe into the Pune land deal should be conducted impartially, without political interference.

He said the government's probe panel into Pune land deal linked to his son will submit report in a month.

Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday constituted an inquiry panel to probe the allegations of graft and irregularities in the Pune land deal involving a company linked to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president and Deputy Chief Minister’s son.

Ajit Pawar Meets CM Fadnavis Amid Row Over Land Deal

Ajit Pawar accompanied by NCP leaders Praful Patel and Sunil Tatkare met Fadnavis at `Varsha', the chief minister's official residence in Mumbai. The meeting lasted for about 30 minutes, sources said.

Had Ajit Pawar Acted Sooner, He Could Have Avoided Row: Ccabinet Colleague Vikhe

Maharashtra minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil today said had Ajit Pawar acted in time, he might have avoided the controversy surrounding a land deal involving a firm linked to his son. The senior leader appeared to be taking a swipe at Pawar, a BJP ally, saying his "busy schedule" could be the reason for his inaction.

"If Ajit Pawar had acted when he first got wind of the Pune land issue, this situation might not have arisen. But considering his busy schedule, sometimes a few decisions happen automatically," Vikhe Patil, a former Congress leader, told reporters.

What Is The Entire Row?

A Rs 300-crore land deal in Pune involving a firm linked to Parth was embroiled in charges of irregularities and set off a political row on Thursday, prompting the government to order a high-level probe. While Fadnavis said that the issue was "prima facie serious" and he had sought information from relevant departments, Ajit Pawar insisted he was in no way connected to the controversial deal.

According to an official, 40 acres of `Mahar Vatan' land belonging to the government in Pune's upmarket Mundhwa area was sold to a private firm, Amadea Enterprises LLP, represented by its partner Digvijay Amarsinh Patil, for Rs 300 crore, and the stamp duty on it was waived. Parth Pawar is also a partner in the firm, the official said. The land was sold through one Shital Tejwani. The property had a total of 272 names and Tejwani was the power of attorney for the property. Being government land, the plot cannot be sold to a private firm, the official explained.

Opposition Attacks Govt

The Opposition slammed the ruling Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Ajit Pawar's NCP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, and demanded a judicial inquiry even as a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against three persons in the case. The government has suspended a sub-registrar and set up a high-level committee to investigate alleged irregularities in the land deal.

Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue) Vikas Kharge will head the probe panel formed on Fadnavis's instructions, said officials. Parth Pawar is yet to respond to the allegations. The office of Inspector General of Registration (IGP) issued an order suspending RB Taru, Sub-Registrar attached to Haveli No. 4 office in Pune district, for alleged irregularities in document registration and allegedly causing a loss to the exchequer. The action was based on a report submitted by the Joint District Registrar and Collector (Stamps), said the order.

(With PTI inputs)

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