Breach of privilege motion moved against NCP’s Tatkare

The leader of Opposition Eknath Khadse on Wednesday moved a breach of privilege motion against irrigation minister Sunil Tatkare over the formation of powerless Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the multi-crore irrigation scam. While moving the notice for the motion in the Legislative Assembly during zero hour, Mr Khadse said, “During the discussion on the irrigation scam at the Nagpur session in December last year, the irrigation minister had said that a special investigation team would be formed to the inquire the scam, which had caused a loss of thousands of crores to the state exchequer. The minister, on the contrary, has set up a SIT to probe the financial irregularities of the irrigation projects. The committee has no power to take any action against the culprits. Mr Khadse demanded that the notice should be forwarded to the breach of privilege committee to look into the issue. However, speaker Dilip Walse-Patil has reserved his ruling on the notice. The multi-crore irrigation scam has put the Congress-led government in the dock. This came into the limelight when state agriculture department in the Economic survey report of last year had mentioned that after spending '70,000 crore on various irrigation projects, the rise in land under irrigation was merely 0.1 per cent. However, the irrigation department claimed that the irrigated land has increased around five per cent in the last 10 years. In addition, BJP legislator Suresh Halwankar from Ichalkaranji Assembly constituency has moved a breach of privilege against the social justice minister Shivajirao Moghe for not fulfilling the assurances made by him in the Assembly. Mr Halwankar said that the minister has assured that the government would provide reservation in education and jobs to the Maratha community, but this was not done. “The government has only appointed committees on the issue. Even chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had assured that a decision would be taken by August 15, 2012,” he pointed out.