Vedant Hotel auction case: CM announces high-level probe

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: After serious allegations about irregularities in the Vedant Hotel property purchase deal, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a high-level probe into the case on Monday. The opposition party aggressively demanded an inquiry into the case on Monday.

Leader of the Opposition Ambadas Danve informed the House that the VITS (old name Vedant) Hotel is currently being run by a company listed on the stock exchange as Dhanda Corporation Limited. After holding discussions on several issues in the auction case, the CM announced in the Legislative Assembly a high-level inquiry.

The Hotel which is on Railway Station Road was sealed under the MPID Act due to financial and other reasons. Later, the State Government gave an advertisement for the auctioning of the hotel under the District Collectorate.

A total of three companies-Siddhant Material Procurement and Suppliers Company (SMPSC), Lakshmi Nirmal Holiday Company and Kalyan Toll Infrastructure Company- submitted their bids in May. A Government-registered valuer gave a valuation report of Rs 75.92 crore for this hotel on December 26, 2018.

The hotel was auctioned in 2025. Why was the price reduced from the 2018 valuation report? This question was raised in the session. The current value of this hotel is Rs 150 crore. Danve asked in the House as to why the Hotel was not put up for sale at the market price.

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Why conditions cancelled

Notices were not given to about 150 employees of this hotel. When the advertisement was published, an unregistered SMPSC firm came for the auction of the hotel. The conditions of requiring a solvency certificate of Rs 40 crore and the company's financial turnover of Rs 45 crore were cancelled. Danve also alleged in the House that after Siddhant withdrew from the auction due to the allegations, the remaining two parties to the contract once again applied to the Sub-Divisional Officer to purchase the hotel.

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I have no objection

The Government should conduct a thorough investigation into the Vedant case and I have no objection to this. The concerned organisation has withdrawn from that auction process.

(Sanjay Shirsat, District Guardian Minister)

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Many cases will surface

There is just one case of 'VITS'. Many cases will surface if the investigation of the corruption of Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat is done through the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB). Many officials of the Collector Office and MIDC will face action on the ACB enquiry. How Sanjay Shirsat got the category-II land in the name of his son, should be investigated in detail. CM Devendra Fadnavis should hold discussions in the Assembly for a whole day on the corruption case of Guardian Minister Sanjay Shirsat.

(Imtiaz Jaleel, former MP)