MUMBAI: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday removed controversial bureaucrat Radheshyam Mopalwar as managing director of the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) until an inquiry is conducted into his actions.
The sacking did not, however, end the current logjam in the state’s Assembly, with the opposition demanding the resignation of housing minister Prakash Mehta.
Fadnavis stated in the Assembly that the probe into Mopalwar’s deeds would be completed within two months until which time the bureaucrat would stand down from his duties.
The chief minister stuck to his point that the allegations against Mopalwar date back to the rule of the Congress-NCP combine and to his stints before he was appointed as managing director of MSRDC.
The opposition has been demanding Mopalwar’s sacking after an audio clip was outed in which he is heard allegedly striking a deal of Rs 4 crore for a 15,000 sq m plot at Borivali.
Mopalwar has said the clips are doctored, and were released to social media by a criminal out of bail who has been trying to extort from him.
As the boss of MSRDC Mopalwar played a crucial role in the acquisition of land for the Rs 46,000 crore Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Highway or the Samruddhi corridor, which is a pet dream project of chief minister Fadnavis.