Gadkari demands white paper on Mah Guv's directives implementation

Nagpur, Nov 19 (UNI) Maharashtra BJP president Nitin Gadkari has urged Governor S M Krishna to direct the incumbent Democratic Front (DF) government to issue a ''white paper'' on its implementation of the directions given by him (the Governor) for the allocation of funds for the development of backward regions of the state.

In a letter addressed to the Governor, copies of which were released to the Press today, Mr Gadkari, who is a member of the Legislative Council, alleged that the DF government had ignored the Governor's directions over the years.

The Governor had ordered the release of various amounts for development purposes in Vidarbha, Marathwada and Rest of Maharashtra regions, but the government had ignored these and thus violated the provisions of the Constitution, he contended.

Mr Gadkari alleged that the Irrigation Department violated the directions and spent nearly Rs 15,000 crore in excess of the provision under the Governor's directives. The Governor had been vested with special powers by the President of India to issue directives for the development of backward regions of the state, he said.

The continued violation of the Governor's directives by the DF government was a matter of serious concern, Mr Gadkari said. It was necessary that the Governor and the people of Maharashtra were informed of the implementation of the directives and the way the funds had been utilised, he added.

UNI