Act against those harassing industrialists using RTI: Maharashtra deputy chief ministerAjit Pawar to police
: Deputy chief minister
on Saturday directed police commissioners to take strict action against people misusing the Right to Information (RTI) Act to harass industrialists, warning that such behaviour would not be tolerated.
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"We have decided to ensure that no industrialist is troubled. Those indulging in strong-arm tactics should be booked under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA)," Pawar said during his visit to the city's industrial estate. Referring to similar action taken in Beed, he said police in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar must also act without yielding to political pressure.
His instructions came after the industrialists raised the issue of being targeted by some anti-social elements, who are misusing information obtained through RTI for either forcing the industries to give some work or bending to their extortion demands.
When contacted, police commissioner Pravin Pawar said the city police are already working to address these concerns, for which multiple rounds of meetings have been conducted with the representatives of the industries.
Addressing industrial concerns in the Marathwada region, Pawar assured that govt was committed to resolving issues such as the need for a dedicated police station, better road connectivity, fire brigade facilities, and revision of power tariffs.
"Govt's job is to solve the problems of industrialists. The chief minister and I are on the same page," he said.
He noted that cleanliness in the industrial estate was lacking and recommended that CSR (corporate social responsibility) funds be utilised to address this. Pawar also clarified that the power tariff burden on industries was partly due to concessions given to farmers, but added that daytime electricity supply for agriculture has now been arranged.
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Later, Pawar inspected the ongoing construction work of the 'Sarthi' institute in the city. He was accompanied by NCP MLA Satish Chavan and the party's district president Kailash Patil, among others.
On a separate note, when asked about Shiv Sena politician Sanjay Shirsat's controversial remark questioning the relevance of the social justice department following fund diversion to the 'Ladki Bahin' scheme, Pawar only said: "The CM will look into it."
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