Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) Shiv Sena-UBT legislator Ambadas Danve on Thursday launched a fierce attack on the Maharashtra government, alleging that corruption has run rampant across the Revenue and Urban Development departments in the state.

Speaking during the discussion on the Last Week Resolution in the State Legislative Council, Danve criticised the state administration, asserting that the government’s claim of ‘zero tolerance’ toward corruption exists only on paper.

Danve cornered the state government on a spectrum of pressing issues, including the state’s law and order situation, women’s safety, police conduct, institutionalised corruption, tribal land encroachments, stamp duty scams, irregularities in City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), Maratha reservation, and farmer loan waivers.

He alleged that corruption in the state has become institutionalised, claiming that contractors are forced to pay up to a 54 per cent commission at various levels to secure government works.

Raising concerns over women’s security, Danve cited data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) to claim that more than 26,000 women and nearly 6,777 minor girls went missing in the state over the past year.

He said that the law and order machinery has crumbled, pointing to rising instances of atrocities against children, kidnapping, human trafficking, and unnatural deaths in prisons.

Danve also alleged that women office-bearers from the MahaYuti government in Mira-Bhayandar had written directly to the Director General of Police (DGP) Sadanand Vasant Date and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, demanding action against atrocities on women and questioning the political patronage enjoyed by criminals.

He also raised the issue of a ruling party MLA allegedly threatening the publisher of the book ‘Shivaji Kon Hota?’ (Who was Shivaji?).

Criticising police insensitivity, Danve alleged that a minor survivor of sexual assault was made to wait for nine hours for a medical examination at the Kej police station, questioning the functioning of the local police.

Turning his focus to the Urban Development Department, the Shiv Sena-UBT legislator listed several alleged scams within CIDCO, MHADA, and various municipal corporations.

He demanded an in-depth probe into illegal developments on CIDCO plots in Navi Mumbai, ongoing construction works lacking Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority approval, an alleged Rs 600-crore irregularity in the Integrated Vector Management project of the Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation, corruption in the Ahmadpur water supply scheme, the solid waste management project in Bhoom Municipal Council, and road development works under the Dindori Nagar Panchayat.

Danve also claimed that corruption in the Revenue Department has reached its peak, referencing a sand mining case in Georai of Beed district.

He said that a local tehsildar misappropriated around 25,000 brass of sand meant for the Gharkul housing scheme, resulting in a Rs 90-crore scam.

He also alleged that despite a formal report submitted by the District Collector regarding the illegal seizure of tribal lands in Thane district for hotels and commercial construction, the state government has failed to take any action.

The Shiv Sena-UBT legislator alleged that encroachments have taken over nearly 4,000 acres of land belonging to the Tulja Bhavani Temple due to the collusion of revenue officials.

Danve demanded a widespread investigation into massive revenue losses in Sambhaji Nagar, Beed, and Jalna districts caused by under-valuation of properties and evasion of stamp duty.

Criticising the state government’s lenient stance on controversial remarks regarding history, the Shiv Sena-UBT legislator demanded immediate action against those making objectionable statements about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Maharani Tarabai.

Referring to the ongoing agitation led by the pro-Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange Patil, Danve urged the state government to expedite the process of issuing Kunbi certificates based on the Hyderabad Gazette.

He concluded by accusing the state government of unleashing an aggressive advertisement campaign regarding farmer loan waivers, while not a single rupee has actually reached the bank accounts of the farmers.

He asserted that the state government remains busy with mere announcements, leaving common citizens to suffer under the weight of corruption, administrative failure, and collapsing law and order.

–IANS

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