They are trying to make the most of the slog overs. Conscious of the impending code of conduct, ministers in Maharashtra are pushing hard to get their proposals cleared.Check this:• Industries Minister Patangrao Kadam has sought permission to run a round-the-clock fast-food mall on the Mumbai-Pune expressway.• Minister of State for Home Kripashankar Singh has asked his department to drop cases of externment.• Minister for Marketing Harshvardhan Patil wants the government to pay a hefty Rs 2,600 per quintal as purchase price to cotton growers.Officers in the Revenue and Cooperation departments are losing count of the number of appointments their ministers have granted in the past three days. Clearly, Sushilkumar Shinde’s team has gone into overdrive to dole out all kinds of concessions and clearances before the polls.Many of them are staying back after office hours to meet a never-ending line of supplicants, seeking political favours. Work at the secretariat extends into the lonely hours of the night.‘‘It’s becoming very difficult. They are not ready to listen to anything, all they want is to clear proposals as early as possible,’’ said a secretary.Kadam, an aspirant for chief ministership, has in fact tried to override the Home Department’s concerns of security to acquire permission for a 24-hour food mall on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway.‘‘The department said permission could not be given for one particular mall. The government will have to take a policy decision for the purpose. He was not ready to listen,’’ said a source. The minister was unavailable for comment.Among other ministers putting in ‘‘extra time’’ are some Congress and NCP members who have sought to have externment cases against 50-odd persons dropped as early as possible.Under stringent laws like the Maharashtra Prevention of Bootleggers, Drug Peddlers and Slumlords Act (MPDA), offenders are barred from areas where they have committed crimes. Some of the ministers are trying to expedite the return of such persons to their hometowns.‘‘Normally, the procedure takes weeks since we have to issue notices, conduct hearings and then continue or withdraw externment orders. However, since they are keen on bestowing favours, the ministers want us to give quick justice,’’ said an officer in the Home Department.‘‘We are just praying that the election dates are announced by the Election Commission as early as possible. The announcement will bring the code of conduct and all these insane activities will stop immediately,’’ said a harried bureaucrat.The Opposition, unable to match the ruling coalition’s generosity, has now warned that it would conduct an inquiry into all such last-minute decisions. ‘‘After we come to power, a probe would be conducted and the guilty would be brought to book,’’ said Shiv Sena leader Narayan Rane. He also pointed out that the finance and planning secretary were not in the country and hence decisions taken without their clearance would be improper.Unmindful of such threats, the Cabinet continued to clear sops for the third consecutive day yesterday, waiving interest on loans taken by all farmers in the state, and thereby putting an additional burden of Rs 134 crore on the exchequer.It also decided to continue the monopoly procurement scheme to purchase cotton from farmers. The issue caused a dispute at a Cabinet meeting when Minister for Marketing Harshavardhan Patil insisted on announcing Rs 2,600 per quintal and Shinde caustically remarked that the minister could take it further to Rs 2,700 per quintal if he wanted to.
