MUMBAI/PUNE, June 24: The Urban Development (UD) department of the State government today issued a show cause notice to Pimpri-Chinchwad New Town Development Authority (PCNTDA) chairman, Agasti Kanetkar, seeking to know why he should not be removed from his post. Kanetkar, said to be close to high ranking Shiv Sena leaders, is facing charges of corruption and misuse of his office.The UD department has given the controversial chairman a week's time to reply to the notice. However, sources in the UD department feel, Kanetkar's days in the present post is numbered and his clarification will not be given much importance. An official from the UD department revealed, the alliance government was unhappy with Kanetkar and the way he was misusing his contacts with the Shiv Sena.Kanetkar was appointed as PCNTDA chairman after the SS-BJP alliance came to power in 1995. It is being alleged that during his tenure, Kanetkar allotted prime area plots in Pimpri-Chinchwad to certain educational institutions at a muchlower rates than the prescribed.Besides, appointments to certain posts made by the PCNTDA chairman needs State government's approval, but it is alleged that flouting this rule, Kanetkar went ahead and made the appointments. There are several other corruption charges against Kanetkar.When, Urban Development secretary Nand Lal visited PCNTDA, he received several complaints against Kanetkar. The State government then appointed Arun Bhatia to conduct an inquiry into the allegations. Recently, Bhatia submitted his report which is said to be against Kanetkar.A high ranking State government official told The Indian Express, ``The government will not spare him in any case. There are continuous complaints against him. We will give him a hearing but action will be definitely against him.''On his part, Kanitkar claimed that he himself had asked the department to give him an opportunity for a ``proper hearing'' in regard to the allegations made against him. Refuting the charges, Kanitkar said he wasready to face any enquiry.Speaking to The Indian Express, Kanitkar said that he had not been given the suitable chance to present his case. ``The divisional commissioner who conducted the enquiry heard me only for one and half minutes,'' he said.All the conclusions in the enquiry report, he said, were based on false and incorrect information provided from the PCNTDA office. ``I have not done any work which violated any of the stipulated official norms and regulations. Moreover, the post of the chairman is not an executive post. It is a honarary post, so the question of putting responsibility on me about the allegations does not arise. The entire powers are given to the chief executive officer who carries out the duties of the PCNTDA as its secretary. He stops any work which he thinks would violate the stipulated norms'', Kanitkar said. ``The question of my resignation from the post does not arise as there is no truth in the allegations of corruption and misuse of office,'' he maintained.Kanitkar said he was ready to face any enquiry by any officer of the state government adding that the enquiry conducted by Arun Bhatia was a ``preliminary one''. He has submitted a letter making the demand to Chief Minister Manohar Joshi. He added that he would ``present the facts'' also to the media at an appropriate time.He said that although he had not received the show cause notice, he welcomed the decision of the UD department to allow him to give him a hearing. Meanwhile, Kanitkar today submitted a letter to the UD department stating that he would not be able to attend the PCNTDA office as chairman until July 25 for personal reasons.
