Radheshyam Mopalwar retires, reappointed as MSRDC chief

In December 2017, Mopalwar resumed his position at MSRDC after getting a clean chit from a chief minister-appointed inquiry panel that probed allegations of corruption raised against him.

The Maharashtra government on Wednesday issued orders re-employing IAS officer Radheshyam Mopalwar as the Managing Director and Vice-Chairman of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), on contract basis. Mopalwar, a 1995-batch IAS officer, attained the age of superannuation on Wednesday.

In December 2017, Mopalwar resumed his position at MSRDC after getting a clean chit from a chief minister-appointed inquiry panel that probed allegations of corruption raised against him. Earlier, on August 3 last year, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had asked Mopalwar to proceed on leave, while constituting the inquiry panel to probe the allegations. On November 30, the panel’s reports gave the bureaucrat a clean chit, clearing the decks for him to resume work.

According to the state’s Public Works Department, Mopalwar’s re-employment contract would be valid for a year beginning March 1. The Fadnavis government has said Mopalwar’s continuation is necessary for speedy implementation of several projects, including the ambitious Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Corridor.

“Several MSRDC projects including the Samruddhi Corridor project, the Bandra-Versova Sea Link project and a third bridge along Sion-Panvel highway were at a decisive phase. Considering the need to take all these projects to a secure stage, the government has approved reappointment of Mopalwar on the MSRDC,” says the PWD order.

The government has invoked a clause in the MSRDC’s constitution that permits the agency to hire a retired IAS officer as the company’s managing director and vice chairman. According to information, the clause was incorporated on April 21, 1991, when the MSRDC had last re-employed a retiring bureaucrat.

A probe into allegations of disproportionate assets raised against Mopalwar is ongoing with the state’s Anti Corruption Bureau and the Enforcement Directorate. Meanwhile, Mahesh Zagade, a 1993-batch IAS officer who recently achieved the rare feat of a promotee IAS officer becoming a Principal Secretary, has now been appointed to a post in the state secretariat. He will be the new Principal Secretary (Administrative Reforms).

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