The Indian Express: Mumbai: Tuesday, January 09, 2018.
Agriculture
minister Pandurang Phundkar and Minister of State for Agriculture Sadabhau Khot
allegedly use more than one vehicle each, despite a government resolution
disallowing it, according to information received under the Right to
Information Act (RTI), said activist Anil Galgali.
Galgali said
information collected by him under the RTI Act revealed that Phundkar was given
two vehicles, while Khot has been given a vehicle by the Maharashtra Agro
Industries Development Corporation Ltd, apart from the one already allotted to
him by the Agriculture Department. The corporation has also provided them with
drivers. Phundkar and Khot are chairman and vice-chairman respectively of the
corporation.
Records show
that Bijay Kumar, principal secretary of the Agriculture Department, and the
personal secretary to Phundkar have also been given vehicles with drivers.
Opposition leader and former agriculture minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil has
been given a driver from the corporation for his own vehicle.
“Around Rs
25.25 lakh was spent on the maintenance of Phundkar’s vehicles, while Rs 26.50
lakh has been spent on Khot’s vehicle in the last seven months. These
maintenance expenses include the amount spent on purchasing new vehicles,” said
Galgali.
He also said
that he has written to the Chief Minister, demanding an inquiry in using
additional vehicles and recovering the amount spent on the maintenance of the vehicles.
“How can they use more than one vehicle? The 2005 government resolution allows
the use of only one vehicle for a minister. They are misusing their positions
and wasting public money on it. Besides, the
move of
giving vehicles to Principal Secretary of Agricul-ture and minister’s private
secretary should be investigated,” added Galgali.
Khot said
that the additional vehicle was used by staff for work. “We use one vehicle at
a time. Sometimes, the additional vehicle is used by our staff for work purposes,”
he said. Bijay Kumar said that he doesn’t have a regular vehicle from the
corporation. “I have a government vehicle for regular use. Sometimes, we ask a
for vehicle from the corporation if my vehicle is sent to the garage,” said
Kumar. However, Phundkar was not available for comment.
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