PIL against government policy to cancel development works

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad

The Aurangabad division bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh on Tuesday ordered to issue notices to the state’s chief secretary and principal secretary of the urban and rural development department during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) challenging the new government policy to cancel the development works after the change in the power in the state.

MLA Dr Rahul Patil (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray group) submitted a PIL challenging the policy of the government to cancel the development works after the oral directives by the new chief minister. The chief minister is also a respondent in the PIL, but the bench presently has ordered only to serve notices to the officers.

The development works in the Parbhani district sanctioned by the earlier Mahavikas Aghadi government were canceled after the oral directives by CM Eknath Shinde. Hence, Dr Patil submitted a PIL through Adv Siddheshwar Thombre. The next hearing on the PIL will be held on March 13.

According to the applicant, the Mahavikas Aghadi government had sanctioned several development works to be initiated through Parbhani ZP, corporation, councils, panchayat samitis and other local bodies. Later, the government was changed and CM issued oral order to the chief secretary to cancel the development works. Dr Patil challenged the chief secretary’s order to cancel development works through a petition in the Aurangabad division bench and the bench converted it to a PIL.