Zeenews Bureau
Mumbai: In more trouble for the Pawar family, Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has been accused of favouring a firm and misusing his power in allotting land to it.
Media reports said AG Mercantile was awarded three acres of prime land near Karjat for tourism development. The said land is located in the picturesque neighbourhood near the famous Nitin Desai studios.
Ajit Pawar, the nephew of Union minister and NCP chief Sharad Pawar, is a director in AG Mercantile and owns 8,800 of the total 25,000 shares.
The company was allotted the land in return for the help it would provide in strengthening the existing Bhilavli dam.
The strange quid-pro-quo arrangement was meant to kill any opposition from locals who had been told that they would benefit.
There are 39 stakeholders in AG Mercantile. One Gaytari Pant Pardeshi is the second-largest share holder with as many as 7,200 shares. Vinod Goenka, co-owner of real estate firm DB Realty, is also a director of the company. Goenka is a co-business partner with Shahid Balwa, who is one of the accused in 2G spectrum scam and is currently under CBI custody.
AG Mercantile has submitted before the Ministry of Corporate Affairs that most of its investors had given fraudulent information about their address and known source of income. In fact, five of the investors have given the same address.
Pawar is also in the dock for failing to have mentioned in his election affidavit that he owns 8,800 shares in AG Mercantile.
