Maharashtra Assembly: Chavan seeks probe into Samruddhi Corridor land deals

Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Tuesday demanded a probe into land deals before the notification for land acquisition was issued for the multi-billion dollar Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Corridor. Officially called Nagpur Mumbai Super Communication Expressway (NMSCE), the 700-kilometre long corridor is estimated to cost Rs 49,000-odd crore and will pass through Nagpur, Buldhana, Amravati, Wardha, Washim, Thane, Aurangabad, Akola, Bhiwandi and Nashik and culminate in the country's financial capital. 

It requires 9,330.04 hectares of land. At the time of land acquisition, several farmers protested though the then Devendra Fadnavis-led government had managed to go ahead with the process. Speaking in the Assembly during Question Hour, Chavan said documents were submitted to the office of the previous chief ministers about irregularities committed by senior bureaucrats and a probe was into them was assured by the then government.

In his reply, Public Works (Public Undertakings) Department minister Eknath Shinde said documents were submitted on the allegations but a probe carried out by the Lokayukta found them to be baseless. Incidentally, Shinde was PWD minister in the previous BJP-led government when the land for the project was acquired. Talking to reporters later, Chavan said he wanted a probe into land deals that took place before the notification for land acquisition for the project was announced.