Facing ‘2% cut’ allegations, dist planning officer of Parbhani shunted out by Ajit

Mumbai: In a first of its kind action, deputy CM Ajit Pawar on Monday shunted out Parbhani district planning officer K G Pardeshi after receiving specific allegations of corruption against him.
At a recent meeting of District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) in Parbhani, legislators, including MPs, complained to Ajit Pawar that some DPDC officers were collecting 2% commission in Pardeshi’s name.
Stunned by the allegations, Ajit Pawar reprimanded Pardeshi in the presence of the district collector and senior officials, and summoned him to Mantralaya on Monday. Ajit Pawar later had a fresh round of discussions with Pardeshi and officials from the planning and finance department. Subsequently, he passed an order, saying for administrative reasons, govt has relieved Pardeshi from Parbhani DPDC with immediate effect.
The charge has been handed over to Pardeshi’s junior officer, R G Dhakne.
A senior bureaucrat said it was for the first time in the recent past that a district planning officer was relieved on the spot following charges of corruption levelled by elected representatives.
The main charge against Pardeshi was that he was demanding 2% commission on the funds sanctioned by DPDC. While DPDC funds are not uniform across the state, the sums released depend on development projects in the district, the population and other issues. While the total funds for DPDC stand at Rs 20,165 crore, Rs 386 crore has been allocated for Parbhani.