Will the Maharashtra government collapse if the state orders an inquiry into the Lavasa housing project? At least Bharatiya Janata Party legislator Devendra Phadnavis seems to think so.
On Wednesday, Phadnavis alleged that senior Nationalist Congress Party and Congress leaders were involved in the project and that the government may fall if the state orders an inquiry into Lavasa.
The BJP legislator from Nagpur stunned the state assembly when he showed papers, which showed how former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and a few senior NCP leaders asked officials to clear all obstacles with regard to Lavasa despite the project violating all laws.
Phadnavis said on July 14, 2007, Deshmukh along with two senior NCP leader visited Lavasa to clear the project.
"This decision was not taken in the Mantralaya (seat of the Maharashtra government) or in a cabinet meeting, this was taken in Lavasa itself. In all other cases, it is the people who approach the government for clearances but here the government went to Lavasa, called senior urban development department officials and had the Lavasa project cleared," said Phadnavis.
He claimed in the House that a number of officials from several government departments such as forest, environment, local self-government had opposed the project at every step.
Replying on the debate, Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said, "Nothing has been done by violating the law. There are few irregularities that we will regularise in accordance with the law."
Lavasa project is being developed by HCC owned by Ajit Gulabchand, who has been known to be a close friend of NCP chief Sharad Pawar.
HCC is the same company, which constructed Bandra-Worli sea link.
"This is the biggest land scam in the history of the independent India, prime land worth thousands of crores has been gifted to Lavasa at the behest of politicians for a pittance," said Barhate.
