VVCMC case: ED probing if bribes totalled 275 cr
Earlier, the ED stated that Pawar charged commissions up to Rs 50 per sq foot. According to that calculation, ED is investigating if the bribe amount collected by him and his junior, deputy director of town planning Y S Reddy, from builders is over Rs 275 crore.
During the remand hearing, the plea submitted by the special public prosecutor for the ED, Kavita Patil, stated that the proceeds of crime have cross-border implications, leading to the utilisation of crime proceeds not only in India but also abroad, which is part of their investigation.
The court remanded four arrested accused, including Pawar and Reddy, to jail custody. The prosecution requested the court to grant it the right to seek further custody of the arrested should it become necessary.
The accused were arrested on Aug 13.
In the remand application, ED stated that Reddy functioned as deputy director of the town planning department of VVCMC and, along with Anil Pawar, was neck-deep in corrupt practices.
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The ED investigations revealed they created an organised mechanism for collection of bribe amounts for various permissions like commencement certificates, occupancy certificates, and revised development permissions granted for different layout and building plans.
In the demand, the ED said, "Investigation so far has revealed that Pawar... in connivance with Reddy, granted commencement certificates for a total built-up area of 5,50,43,263.59 (5.51 crore) square feet in urban and green zone areas wherein bribe in the form of commission was charged at fixed rates."
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It further added that Pawar, during his tenure, turned a blind eye to the unauthorised construction activities going on in the corporation area and gave protection to already constructed alleged illegal buildings in lieu of a fixed rate. The investigations revealed that he used to patronise unauthorised construction activity in lieu of a hefty bribe amount where the rate of bribe was much higher than that in the civic body's town planning department.
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