Megha Engineering Infrastructure fined Rs 94 crore for illegal excavation: Maharashtra minister

Mumbai, Jul 11 (PTI) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday informed the assembly that a fine of Rs 94.68 crore was imposed on Megha Engineering Infrastructure Ltd for illegal excavation of minor minerals during road construction.

The company's confiscated machinery was released pending hearing of its appeals after it deposited 1 percent of the fine amount in one case, he said.

Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering Infrastructure was in news recently as the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority cancelled a contract awarded to it after L&T, a rival bidder, challenged the tender process in the Supreme Court.

Megha Engineering Infrastructure was accused of illegally excavating minor minerals during the construction of roads on Shegaon and Pandharpur pilgrimage routes in Jalna district.

"In various cases, additional district collector of Jalna imposed a fine of Rs 38,70,05,520, and tehsildar of Partur (district Jalna) imposed a fine of Rs 55,98,55,600 through various orders," the minister stated in a written reply to a question by BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar.

As the company challenged the orders, he directed it to deposit Rs 17.28 lakh, one per cent of the fine amount in a case before Partur tehsildar, in the state treasury, said Bawankule.

The company challenged the tehsildar's order before the additional revenue divisional commissioner-1 at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. But the commissioner rejected the appeal, he said.

The minister further said he instructed the Partur tehsildar to return the confiscated machinery after the company deposited one per cent of the fine amount.

The tehsildar has filed seven other cases against the company, he said. PTI ND KRK