The state government’s selection of Madhav Chitale, an expert on water resources and irrigation, to head the special investigation team (SIT) on the irrigation scam has opened a Pandora’s Box.
Activists have flayed the choice because of what they call “his more than obvious pro-dam stance and closeness to both Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and his nephew Ajit, who is at the eye of the scam”.
On Tuesday, National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM) chief Medha Patkar led a delegation to meet chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and voice reservations on the choice of Chitale to head the SIT.
“We want the government to keep the process transparent and accountable. After all, it is the people’s money and they have a right to know where it vanished,” she said. “Chitale has never gone beyond the technocrat’s brief in his view on big dams. We need someone with macro equitable understanding of the water resources and access to them.”
Himanshu Thakkar of the South Asian Network on Dams, Rivers and People said the choice of Chitale to led the SIT raised questions on the state’s sincerity in getting to the bottom of the scam. “This man is not only rabidly pro-water resource establishment and has no track record of independence, but also has got no expertise on corruption tracking.”
His colleague Parineeta Dandekar concurred: “The SIT seems like an exercise in fending off legal/judicial action against the perpetrators. Once an inquiry begins nothing can be done at least two years till the findings are out.”
“Dam after dam, which are part of this scam, have been justified in the Chitale committee findings. So is it just coincidence that this bureaucrat was chosen to head the probe?” she added.
Kishore Tiwari, whose Vidharbha Jan Andolan Samiti is spearheading the struggle for distressed farmers, said: “The government is sitting on the findings of various panels, including the Wadnere committee, Mendhegiri committee and Upase committee. If the government really wanted to probe the criminal misconduct of ministers and officers, why would it choose a person known to be close to the Pawars?”
Chitale said he was travelling to Aurangabad and would not be able to comment on the issue till later.
