The Madhav Chitale-headed Special Investigation Team (SIT), which probed the alleged multi-thousand crore irrigation scam in the State, submitted its voluminous report to Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday.
Appointed on December 31, 2012 to probe the alleged irregularities in the irrigation contracts awarded by the Water Resource department controlled by the NCP, the three-member SIT — headed by water expert Madhav Chitale — met Chavan at the State-run Sahydri Guest House and handed over its 1,361 page enquiry report to him. Upon a request by Chitale, the Chief Minister granted gave 15 days’ time to the SIT to submit an “executive
summary” of the comprehensive report to the State Government. The report is two parts. The BJP-led Opposition had forced the Congress-led DF Government to appoint an SIT to probe the irrigation scam, after which the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar had briefly resigned from his post in 2012, following media reports on the alleged irregularities. Ajit Pawar was the State Irrigation Minister between 1999 and 2010 and the irrigation scam had allegedly taken place during his tenure.