Maharashtra to accommodate 12 prisoners from Mauritius

Nagpur, Nov 26 (UNI) Maharashtra will accommodate 12 Indian nationals, who are currently undergoing imprisonment in Mauritius, in the jails of the state.

A provision of Rs 4.30 lakh is sought to be made for sending escorts to Mauritius to bring the 12 prisoners to India, in the supplementary budget for 2007-2008 tabled before the Legislature here last week.

The prisoners had applied for repatriation to India to serve out the remaining part of their sentence in the country. The Maharashtra government had agreed to accommodate them, as they were originally residents of the state, the Home Department said while seeking the provision.

A repatriation agreement had been signed between the Governments of India and Mauritius, it said.

The state Government also decided to revive the Maharashtra Revenue Tribunal (MRT), and to establish its headquarters at Mumbai with benches in Aurangabad and Nagpur.

The Revenue and Forests Department had sought a provision of Rs 22 lakh for the current financial year to create 55 new posts for the headquarters and the benches. The provision had been sought to be made through the supplementary demands for 2007-2008, placed before the Legislature last week. The annual average cost for the same is estimated to be Rs 88 lakh, the department said.

The 55 new posts, sought to be created, include 25 at the headquarters and 15 each at the two benches. These include the posts of president, two members, registrar, deputy registrar and 20 staffers at Mumbai, besides, two members, a deputy registrar and 12 staffers each at Aurangabad and Nagpur.

The department proposes to buy 50 ''improved'' cages for trapping panthers entering human habitation, and had sought a provision of Rs 26 lakh for the purpose in the supplementary budget for the same.

In addition, it had sought a provision of Rs five lakh for afforestation of 34 hectares of land in Malad in suburban Mumbai, from where encroachments have been removed.

UNI