Ajit Pawar denies role in alleged land scam, says won’t tolerate any wrongdoing

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has said that he has no connection with the alleged multicrore land deal in Pune involving his son Parth PawarEmphasising transparency and accountability Pawar said he will never support anyone flouting rules adding that even those close to him are not exempt from following due process reported news agency ANIHis reaction followed the Maharashtra governments initiation of a highlevel inquiry into the alleged land scamI only want to say that whatever reports are being run are not known to me I have no connection with the issue I had already clarified that I will not tolerate any wrongdoing I will analyse the details of the case personally Ajit Pawar told reporters on ThursdayI have never called any officer to benefit any of our relatives or any party worker If anyone is doing wrong or against the set norms I will never support them I always abide by the rules and regulations CM should definitely inquire into the matter and find the truth behind it All the rules should be followed and no one should flout the rules Even those close to me are not allowed to surpass the rules he added reported ANIMeanwhile the Inspector General of Registration in Pune has submitted an interim report to the Additional Chief Secretary in Mumbai on the alleged land scamAccording to the interim report a property allegedly valued as high as 1800 crore rupees was sold to a company linked to Parth Pawar for just Rs 300 crore with a nominal stamp duty of only Rs 500 allegedly bypassing proper procedures for governmentlinked land reported ANIFollowing the submission one official has been suspended and the government has ordered a highlevel committee to conduct a full investigation into the irregularities and financial losses to the state The final report from the investigation committee is expected within eight daysThe land in question approximately 40 acres of governmentowned Mahar Vatan land was reportedly sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP a firm in which Parth Pawar is a partnerA senior Revenue Department official also confirmed that an FIR has been registered against Taru the seller and the purchaser for further investigation into the case reported ANIAccording to sources in the Revenue Department the transaction has raised serious concerns over alleged irregularities including the waiver of stamp duty and the transfer of government land to a private entity reported ANIMaharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis while addressing reporters in Nagpur confirmed that the government has taken cognisance of the issueIn connection with the allegations made regarding the alleged land scam in Pune I have sought complete information from both the Revenue Department and the Land Records Department Based on this inquiry and the information received we will present our official stance Fadnavis saidAt first glance some of the issues that have come to light appear to be extremely serious in nature Therefore I will make a detailed statement on this matter only after receiving all the relevant information he addedThe Chief Minister further assured that strict action will be taken if any wrongdoing is establishedAs for the governments further course of action let me make it clear that as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state Ajit Pawar will not support any wrongdoing of any kind by anyone If any irregularities are found anywhere strict action will certainly be taken Our Mahayuti government believes in transparency and hence this matter will be thoroughly examined to verify whether there has been any irregularity If any are found stringent action will be taken without hesitation Fadnavis saidRTI activist Vijay Kumbhar who first raised the issue alleged that the land in Punes Mundhwa area was purchased at a price far below the prevailing market rateThe land was bought at a throwaway price and the government granted a stamp duty waiver of Rs 21 crore We demand that whoever is responsible for this scam should be booked in a criminal case Kumbhar said reported ANIWith inputs from ANI