Mahayuti races to clear proposals, disburse funds before code of conduct kicks in
With the assembly elections expected to be announced in the second week of October, there is a tearing hurry to get projects cleared
MUMBAI: For the hundred-odd staffers in the state finance department at Mantralaya, the days are getting longer. From the secretaries heading the departments to the clerks handling files, all are spending more time in office, besieged as they are by the tremendous pressure from the ruling parties to clear pending proposals and disburse funds already allocated or committed to. With the assembly elections expected to be announced in the second week of October, after which the electoral code of conduct will put a stop to government decisions, there is a tearing hurry to get projects cleared.
On Monday, the state cabinet in its meeting cleared a host of proposals: the ₹1,486-crore Shirur-to-Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar greenfield highway, the renaming of Pune airport after Sant Tukaram, the inclusion of three sub-castes of the Kunbi community in the Other Backward Classes category, the doubling of the remuneration given to sarpanches and deputy sarpanches, the leasing out of land owned by the State Transport Corporation to private developers and the grant of ₹7 per litre to milk producers to compensate for the inadequate market price of milk.
There was also unseemly haste to clear a proposal to allot land on the outskirts of Nagpur to a trust headed by state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule, which was stymied by the finance department yesterday. Officials said that at least three or four more meetings of the state cabinet were likely, as many proposals were in the pipeline. An officer on special duty working in a Shiv Sena minister’s office said, “I have been entrusted with the task of getting at least 90-odd proposals cleared. Every day, I am working for nearly 15 hours chasing various authorities.”
After proposals are cleared, many MLAs and staff of ministers are seen flocking to the finance department. They insist on the entire process being completed quickly and the disbursal of funds within days—a process that normally takes weeks, as various issues, including legal aspects and government rules, have to be taken into consideration before moving the files.
Some totally illegal works, which will not withstand a trial in court, are also being cleared. Citing an example, bureaucrats said that the BJP forced clearance of a proposal for regularisation of encroachments around Sadadand Baba ashram in the Tungareshwar wildlife reserve. The forest department had opposed this, but forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that the proposal had clearance from CM Eknath Shinde.
The PWD has issued a tender for construction of a massive statue of Shivaji Maharaj at Sindhudurg at a cost of ₹20 crore. Similarly, due to pressure from the BJP’s Sindhudurg unit, the medical education department, in its pursuit of a new 500-bed hospital, has hurriedly issued orders to demolish the existing hospital and medical college. This will compel the government to float a new proposal at the earliest even if the ruling party changes.
Earlier this week, the state government committee headed by CM Shinde, approved plans worth ₹305.63 crore for the development of various pilgrimage sites across the state. This includes ₹29.49 crore for the construction of a darshan mandap and darshan raang (queue) facilities at Shri Kshetra Pandharpur.
In many cases, bureaucrats are strongly opposing the projects and delaying clearances, as they know that nothing much can be done once the code of conduct is enforced. There have also been clashes between Shiv Sena ministers and finance minister Ajit Pawar over the clearance of proposals—recently, water supply minister Gulabrao Patil of the Shiv Sena openly called the finance ministry “nalayak” (worthless). More recently, revenue minister Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil (BJP) had an argument with Ajit Pawar over hurriedly clearing a proposal related to giving compensation to milk farmers.
Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan said that all this was a “last-minute grab” on the part of the ruling alliance politicians who, he said, knew they weren’t coming back. “Many tenders are being floated without following due process,” he said. “The minimum time for bidding has been reduced so that they can loot. I can cite one classic example: how state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule’s trust was given land in a hurry.”
Chavan added that government officers were being coerced to pass illegal orders. “They must resist, because when we order an inquiry after coming to power, even government officers will be held responsible,” he said.
The ruling parties scoffed at Chavan’s statement. “All decisions taken by the government are in the interest of the people,” said Shiv Sena spokesperson Naresh Mhaske. “The opposition is just doing its job of criticising us. They won’t be elected.” Added BJP spokesperson Keshav Upadhye, “The MVA was known for not taking decisions and so can’t digest our government doing so. If they think they are coming back to power, that’s a pipe dream.”