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Tenders with over 15% below bid to be scrapped: PWD Minister

* New tenders to have a clause making it mandatory for contractor to maintain the road constructed by him for five years Staff Reporter Public Works Department (PWD) has decided to scrap the tenders receiving bids that are below the set price by more than 15 per cent. Chandrakant Patil, Public Works Minister, announced this decision in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday in while replying to discussion on supplementary demands. Patil informed the House that if this decision cannot be applied in some cases, the department will take bank guarantee equal to the amount quoted in a bid. These steps will prevent the contractors from quoting price that is 20-30 per cent below the set price. The decision was taken as many instances came to the notice of the Government in which contractors had quoted very low price and had abandoned the work mid-way. Further, to ensure better e-tendering process, contractors from the district where e-tender for some work is floated will be eligib
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Maharashtra fixes time-frame for disposal of quasi-judicial cases of land

Staff Reporter Maharashtra Government has fixed a time-frame, applicable from Tuesday, for disposal of quasi-judicial matters relating to land. Now, field-level Revenue Department officers have to decide a case within a year from the date of filing of such case. The step has been taken to reduce pendency as well as to streamline handling of the cases that are often filed under different laws. Eknath Khadse, Revenue Minister, announced this decision in Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. A Government Resolution (GR) in this regard will be issued and the changes will be applicable since Tuesday, he said while making a statement. “The step has been taken to streamline the functioning related to land matters, expedite disposal, having clarity in directions, and to reduce pendency,” he said. Since the cases relating to land were filed under various laws, there were complications. Hence, while deciding the cases, a law-wise special register dealing with these cases will be ma
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‘86,409 hectares of zudpi jungle land to be made available for deforestation’

Staff Reporter The issue of zudpi jungle has since long proven to be a big hurdle in the all-round development of Vidarbha region. A total of 1,78,000 hectares of land was spread across six districts of Vidarbha under the category of ‘zudpi jungle’. The Government has divided the land into two categories, and this will make available 86,409 hectares of zudpi land for deforestation to pave way for various projects, said Sudhir Mungantiwar, Forest and Finance and Planning Minister. Mungantiwar was replying to a debate on supplementary demands in Legislative Assembly on Monday. He informed the House that 92,116 hectares of the zudpi land actually had forest on it. Hence, that land will be given to Forest Department for forest management purposes. As far as deforestation of 86,409 hectares of land was concerned, Revenue Department has been asked to prepare tehsil-wise proposals. So far, Revenue Department has submitted 342 proposals. But, as the proposals had shortcomings,
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Maharashtra to give land ownership rights to refugees, educational institutions

* Final decision after receiving report of committee under Chief Secretary, says Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse * Local bodies to be empowered to issue NA permissions Staff Reporter Eknath Khadse, Revenue and Agriculture Minister, told the Legislative Assembly on Monday that the Government would regularise encroachments on private, Gunthewari, or agricultural land. Also, he said, land ownership rights would be granted to refugees, educational institutions, project-affected persons, co-operative societies, and freedom fighters. Khadse was replying to a debate on supplementary demands pertaining to his departments. In the State, 2.50 lakh houses are located on encroached land. These and encroachments on private or reserved lands, barring the grazing grounds, will be regularised. For the purpose, a law will be enacted. The only condition is that the encroachments should not be on Government lands or encroachments should not come in the way of any infrastructure development
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Smart cities won’t affect powers of municipal corporations: CM

Staff Reporter Refuting all the allegations of the Opposition point-by-point, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured the Legislative Assembly that Smart Cities project would not affect the powers of municipal corporations in the State. “Smart cities project is aimed at delivering efficient services to the last man,” he said. Fadnavis, who also holds the portfolio of Urban Development, was replying to a discussion on supplementary demands, in the Assembly on Monday. During the discussion, former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan (Congress) alleged that the State Government had ‘tweaked’ the norms of the Centre as far as Smart Cities project is concerned. He also alleged that formation of Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) company would affect the autonomy of municipal corporations, and that the State had changed the list of cities shortlisted for the project with ‘political intention’. Sunil Prabhu (Shiv Sena) also raised certain points. In his reply, Fadnavis elaborated on
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Cold response from legislators to Adarsh Gram Yojana

By Kartik Lokhande In the second half of the month of May earlier this year, Rural Development Department launched with fanfare ‘Aamdar Adarsh Gram Yojana’ taking a cue from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initiative ‘Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana’. Under the State’s scheme, MLAs and MLC were to adopt and a develop a village each. However, almost seven months have passed by and more than half of the legislators in Maharashtra have failed to complete the process for adopting a village. Of course, there are a few honourable exceptions like Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, who has adopted village Fetri in Nagpur district. However, there are many legislators including ministers and prominent leaders of the Opposition parties who are yet to submit a proposal for adopting a village. In fact, sources said, many have not even evinced interest in adopting a village. Interestingly, though many MLAs and MLCs are from urban centres including cities like Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Nagpur, Nashi
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Assembly Review -- Confident Govt, jittery Oppn

  By Kartik Lokhande The first week of the winter session of State Legislature was marked by the usual drill of the Opposition parties raising the issue of farmers’ suicides, drought, compensation and the Government appealing to them to debate on the floor of the House. The only difference this time, however, was that the Government appeared to be more confident and hence more aggressive; while the Opposition was jittery. Every year, the entire State Legislature comprising the Government as well as the Opposition comes to Nagpur, the Second Capital of the State. Sadly, every year, the issue of either drought and farmers’ suicides or demand for statehood to Vidarbha dominates the Opposition charge. As a result, over the years, both these issues are getting diluted in public debate. This year, too, the Opposition parties – Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) – raised the issue of drought and forced adjournments demanding loan waiver and relief package to farmers, but wit
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