Gujarat GST official purchased 640 acres of land in Satara; all rules violated, alleges Wadettiwar

Speaking in the Lower House of the state legislature during a debate on the budgetary demands, he said the land concerned is located in Kandati Valley in Satara.

Mumbai: In a serious charge, the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi on Tuesday alleged that a Goods and Services Tax (GST) official from Gujarat has purchased 640 acres of land in ecologically sensitive area of Satara district of Maharashtra.

Speaking in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, leader of the opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, made the charge.

Wadettiwar, a senior Congress leader, wanted to know whether the state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar would take any action.

Wadettiwar said that Satara is the home district of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“The land concerned is located in Kandati Valley in Satara,” he alleged during a debate on budgetary demands.

“A GST department official has purchased 640 acres of land in Satara at very low rates. This has caused a loss to the state’s exchequer. All rules have been violated in the purchase of the land. Roads have been constructed on the forest land and no permission has been sought from the revenue department before the digging work on the land under its jurisdiction. This has resulted in loss to the revenue department," he said.

According to him, revenue and forest rules were violated and the area is environmentally sensitive. “The locals have complained but no action has been taken yet,” he said.

"Roads were excavated from forest land, no permission of the revenue department was taken while excavating. Roads were taken out of the revenue area,” said Wadettiwar.