CAG slams Maharashtra government on land allotment

Mumbai, April 17 (IANS) Several Maharashtra politicians secured government land at throw away prices for trusts linked to them and their relatives, said the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) tabled in the state assembly Tuesday.

The report also lambasted the Maharashata government for favouring the Lavasa Corporation stating that favouritism to Lavasa led to a massive revenue loss running into crores.

The report, which did not name the politicians but only mentioned the names of the trusts and organisations run by them, said that land educational purposes continued to be allotted in Mumbai on basis of Government Resolutions which were 18 to 35 years old, at cheap rates thereby jeopardising the revenue interests of the government.

Land was also given discounted prices to other educational trusts run by top politicians and former chief ministers, the report said.

The report said that the total receipts of the state during the year 2010-11 were Rs.1,05,855.87 crore, of which the revenue raised by the state government was Rs.83,240.19 crore and receipts from the central government were Rs.22,615.68 crore.

"The revenue raised constituted 79 percent of the total net receipts of the state," it said.

According to the CAG report, hill station type areas in the Pune district were indentified without any transparency and the project was driven by private interests rather than public interest.

The report also said that the Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation Ltd.

(MKVDC) irregularly leased land in its possession admeasuring 141.15 hectare in Mulshi taluka to Lavasa Corporation Limited (LCL) in August 2002 at a nominal lease rent of Rs 2.75 lakh per annum, which they had acquired for irrigation purposes.

"Permission given to LCL for construction of bandharas on Mose river valley was not only irregular but has adversely reduced water availability to Pune City and adjoining areas at the cost of public interest," the report said.