Murrum excavation was being carried out without permission at Kurdu, says report

Pune, Sep 9 (PTI) Murrum excavation was being carried out at Kurdu village in Solapur district without mandatory permission from the local revenue authorities, sources in the district administration said.

Elsewhere, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his deputy Ajit Pawar had clarified his stand on the issue. Sometimes, a person is unaware of what is happening at the other end during a phone conversation and is misled, he said, defending Pawar.

The issue of alleged illegal excavation came to the fore after a video went viral showing Deputy Chief Minister Pawar purportedly in a heated exchange with a woman Indian Police Service (IPS) officer who was taking action against illegal soil mining.

In a two-minute video, Pawar was purportedly heard speaking to Anjana Krishna, a sub-divisional police officer, on the phone of a Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) worker on August 31.

Following the incident, the Solapur district collectorate had sought a detailed report from the Karmala tehsildar office.

"The report submitted by the Karmala tehsildar states that no mandatory permission was obtained by the locals involved in the incident and that the murrum excavation was being carried out illegally," said a source from the district administration.

While royalty on murrum excavation is exempted when it is used for public works such as road construction, prior permission from the tehsildar is mandatory.

"Even in the case of public works, the contractor has to seek permission mentioning the required quantity of murrum. Only then is royalty exempted. In this case, no such permission was obtained," the official said.

He further pointed out that unless prior approval is taken, it is not possible to ascertain whether the murrum is being used for public works or diverted for private use. "Often murrum is lifted in the name of public works but used elsewhere. That is why the permission process is important," the official added.

The official said that in the present case, excavation was claimed to be for the construction of two roads, but the work orders for those projects had already lapsed. "With no permission granted for excavation, the activity was deemed illegal and unauthorized, prompting the registration of offences against 15 to 20 people under sections of the Environment (Protection) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita charges pertaining to obstructing a public servant from discharging his/her duties," the official said.

Another official from the district administration said that in the last one year, local revenue officials have registered more than 270 cases against those involved in illegal mining.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Fadnavis said he had sought a report from the Solapur district collector on the illegal soil excavation.

Breaking his silence over the incident which happened last week, Fadnavis said Ajit Pawar had clarified his stand over the entire issue.

"I have also sought a report from the district collector. Many times we are unaware of what is happening on the other side. It is different from the situation shown to us. When the facts are brought before us, we act accordingly," he said. PTI SPK MR KRK