Mumbai: Pinning the blame on former
Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, suspended State Information Commissioner and Adarsh Housing Society scam accused Ramanand Tiwari has told the judicial panel, probing the case that it was Deshmukh who had approved all proposals pertaining to the high rise in South Mumbai.
Tiwari, in an affidavit filed before the two-member
inquiry commission, set up by the Maharashtra government in
January to probe into the irregularities of the Society, has
said that all proposals pertaining to the Adarsh Society
"followed the same route" as others and was sent to the
minister of the concerned departments.
"Deshmukh while being Chief Minister was also heading the
Urban Development Department (UDD). The Society`s proposal
seeking deletion of the land reserved for BEST and changing it
to residential type was forwarded to Deshmukh. Only after his
approval, notification dates March 3, 2006 was issued deleting
the BEST reservation," the affidavit states.
Tiwari, who was then Principal Secretary of UDD, further
claimed that in September 2004, a reference from the state
Revenue and Forest Department, which was then headed by Ashok
Chavan, was received by the UDD mentioning Adarsh`s request to
use the Floor Space Index (FSI) of the BEST land after its
conversion to residential.
"The reference was also processed and sent to Deshmukh.
Only after his approval, the reservation was deleted and the
Society was allowed to use the extra FSI," the affidavit
states.
Refuting allegations of undue favors given by state
government officials to the Society, Tiwari said, "there was
no vested interest to guide the decision and no rule was
relaxed."
PTI
