Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Saturday defended his nephew and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar who is facing allegations over irregularities in irrigation projects in the state.
He said this at NCP workers convention in the city. He said ministers cannot be held responsible for sub-standard work as it is practically impossible for them to inspect the quality of every project. He also praised Ajit for his prompt resignation. When the issue of irregularities in the irrigation project was raised,Ajit promptly resigned and asked the authority to go ahead with the probe, said Pawar.
There is a provision in the law that states extra land after the construction of a dam can be leased out to a tourism or water-sports firm. The land was sanctioned to Lavasa Corporation on the basis of this law. Of the total land acquired for the dam,91 per cent was used for the dam and remaining 9 per cent was given to Lavasa. On weekends,around 15,000 tourists visit the hill city which has excellent hospitals,international quality schools and colleges. The project is providing employment to many local people, said Pawar.