Activist drags Maharashtra information commissioner into Adarsh scam

A social activist who filed a PIL in connection with the Adarsh Society scam, today claimed that Maharashtra information commissioner and erstwhile Urban development secretary Ramanand Tiwari, whose son got a flat in the housing complex, played a crucial role in the episode.

Santosh Daundkar, whose PIL is pending before the Bombay high court, today said that he was going to file a complaint against Tiwari, former MLC Kanhailal Gidwani, and promoter of the society, RC Thakur with the state anti-corruption bureau.

Daundkar's lawyer and retired IPS officer advocate YP Singh alleged at a press conference here that Tiwari, facilitated transfer of additional Floor Space Index (FSI) to Adarsh during his tenure as urban development secretary, between 2002 and 2008.

"Such a person should not be the state information commissioner," advocate Singh said.

According the draft copy of Daundkar's complaint to ACB, Adarsh Society sought FSI of adjacent plot belonging to transport undertaking BEST in 2004, but Tiwari opposed it.

However, on March 3, 2006, the reservation of the adjacent plot in BEST's name was deleted, and FSI was given to Adarsh, so that it could add another 12 storeys.

Further, on December 19, 2007, Adarsh Society admitted Tiwari's son Omkar as a member, though he did not meet the criterion that a member must not be earning more than Rs12,500 a month if he/she is not a government employee.

Advocate Singh also said that such a deletion of reservation in BEST's name, without a clear NOC from the transport undertaking, was a violation of the law, and Tiwari should have conducted an inquiry before assenting to the transfer of FSI.

Singh also alleged that Union ministers Sushilkumar Shinde, who was the chief minister in 2004, and Vilasrao Deshmukh who succeeded him, were complicit in the scam.

Shinde was the CM when plot was allotted to Adarsh, and it demanded transfer of FSI from BEST plot, he said.

"Shinde repeatedly sought a letter from BEST seeking its NOC to transfer of FSI," he alleged.

Both Shinde and Deshmukh are said to be among the contenders for the top post after chief minister Ashok Chavan's resignation today.