FARMERS FROM CITY ON WAIVER LIST

MUMBAI: Mumbai city and its suburbs are home to as many as 813 farmers on loan waiver list, a figure which has “surprised” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis who has ordered a scrutiny before sanctioning the waivers.

The Dinkar Zoting committee, which is looking into allegations of land grab against former revenue minister Eknath Khadse, submitted it’s report to the state government on Tuesday.

The recommendations of the report are not yet public; however, an official from law and judicial department claimed the committee has given clean chit to Khadse.

The one-man committee was appointed on June 23, 2015 by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis following allegations by the opposition that a plot of land of MIDC in Pune located at Bhosari was transferred in the name of Khadse’s wife (Mandakini) in a clear case of conflict of interest by the minister who had exercised his quasi-judicial powers to clear the land transfer.

The committee chose to operate from Nagpur and was given a ministerial cottage at Ravi Bhavan to use the office along with the required staff.

Initially, it was given three months till September 22 for the probe. But as the task was not completed, it got extension till December end.

The term was extended again for the second time. Khadse had submitted his written submissions to the committie on October 22.

Denying any wrongdoing, Khadse had claimed that the said piece of land was never in MIDC possession. But, he bowed out of office on June 4 following opposition pressure.

Fadnavis had, on completion of two years of his government in October, publicly acknowledged that he respected Khadse as a senior leader and would be happy to have him back in the Cabinet if the charges are proven wrong.