Illegal Mining Case in Pune

(Mumbai – M.M.) 4 Tahsildars, 4 Circle Officers, and 2 Talathis Suspended

(Merely suspending such corrupt officials is not enough. A thorough investigation must be conducted, they should be dismissed from service, and sent to jail. Only then will corruption in the administration be effectively curbed.)

Nagpur, 13 December (Correspondent) – In connection with the illegal excavation of 90,000 brass (a unit of measurement used in the construction sector) of minor minerals such as sand, limestone, and stones from an area reserved for afforestation in Maval taluka of Pune district, 10 officials—including 4 Tahsildars, 4 Circle Officers, and 2 Talathis—have been suspended after being found guilty. This information was provided by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule in the Legislative Assembly.

An ETS (Electronic Total Station) survey revealed that excavation exceeding the permitted limit by more than 90,000 brass had taken place. Penal action will be initiated under criminal and revenue laws.

Key points:

• In the illegal mining case, allegations were made by Shelke that the Additional District Collector had provided incorrect information and that officials had been deliberately delaying action for the past eight months while protecting those involved in illegal mining. Responding to this, Minister Bawankule shared the above details.

• The suspended officials include Talathis Deepali Sangar and Gajanan Sotpalliwar; Circle Officers Sandeep Borkar, Manik Sabale, Ajay Sonawane, and Ramesh Kadam; and Tahsildars (who were in charge during the relevant period) Jogendra Katiyar, Manjeet Desai, Madhusudan Barge, and Vikram Deshmukh.

• Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule stated that the Divisional Commissioner conducted the inquiry twice. Mining leases had been approved in Group Nos. 36, 37, and 38; however, temporary extraction of minor minerals was also carried out in Group Nos. 35, 41, 42, and 46, which was unauthorized. Orders have been issued to:

Register criminal cases against the concerned parties for the excess extraction of 90,000 brass

1. Impose penalties
2. Record entries in the 7/12 land records
3. Recover the penalty amount with interest if unpaid

• He further clarified that the departmental inquiry against the suspended officials will be completed within three months, and the report will be tabled in the next legislative session.