India News | File Signed by CM on Probe Against PWD Official Tampered with Fake Remark, Says Maha Minister

Mumbai, Mar 21 (PTI) A file signed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray approving a probe against some PWD officials was tampered with, state minister Ashok Chavan disclosed in the Legislative Assembly on Monday.

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PWD Minister Chavan said a FIR was registered with the Marine Drive police station in this connection and a probe in the matter is on.

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Chavan made the remarks while replying to issues raised by BJP MLA Prashant Bamb in connection with the department's works, including a probe against a superintending engineer.

“A proposal came to me seeking permission to probe some officials. This was a proposal of the previous government when Chandrakant Patil (of the BJP) was the minister of this department. I too approved the proposal as Chandrakant Dada had,” Chavan said, adding that he sent the file to Thackeray for his approval for a probe.

When the file came back to him, Chavan said, it had a remark stating “except Nana Pawar (the superintending engineer Bamb talked about) others should be probed”.

“I grew suspicious on seeing the remark. The chief minister's signature was at one place, the remark was adjacent to it…when I met the chief minister again, I told him about it and requested to check his record since I had doubts,” Chavan said.

“He (Thackeray) said he had not written the remark. The chief minister checked his record again. It was found a note was made there (in the file that was returned to the PWD department) without the chief minister's permission,” the Congress leader added.

An FIR was registered subsequently at the Marine Drive police station, and action will be taken against whoever is guilty, Chavan added.

Chavan, however, did not specify in what connection the officer was to be probed.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)