A CONTROVERSY erupted when a letter written by Dadarao Keche, Arvi MLA of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to the officials with a recommendation to give work orders to contractors named in the attached list went viral. Along with this, a letter by a Deputy Secretary in the office of Deputy Chief Minister that the list with the aforesaid letter ‘should not be considered’ also created ripples. Though the MLA later clarified that the ‘issue was sorted out’ and the ‘work orders were issued to the persons named’, it left the question whether it amounted to propriety. As per the details, Keche had written a letter to Rohan Ghuge, Chief Executive Officer of Zilla Parishad (ZP), Wardha on November 22. In this letter, Keche had rued that work orders were not issued for works sanctioned under Regional Tourism Development Scheme on August 21. On November 3, Keche had written a letter to Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Minister, too. Keche had alleged that though the works were sanctioned, work orders were not issued despite writing letters in this regard to Vivek Pende, Executive Engineer; and Chief Executive Officer of Wardha ZP. In response, according to Keche, the Deputy Chief Minister ordered ‘action’.

 

 

 

Still, as the work orders were not issued, Keche wrote a fresh letter to Ghuge on November 22. This time, he threatened to resort to hunger strike in front of Ghuge’s office from December 4. Curiously enough, with the said letter, Keche attached a list of contractors with their contact numbers and the name of the works to be given to them, in a tabulated form. The cost of the 39 works mentioned in the said list ranged from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. Surprisingly, the Arvi MLA had stated in the subject of the letter submitted earlier to the office of Deputy Chief Minister that ‘works sanctioned under Regional Tourism Development Scheme to be approved only as per the list attached’. The very next day of Keche threatening hunger strike, that is, on November 23, A P Wagh, Deputy Secretary with the office of the Deputy Chief Minister, issued a letter to Chief Executive Officer of Wardha ZP. In this particular letter, Wagh stated in point number 2, “The list attached with the letter (of Keche) mentions name and mobile number of contractors, and implementing agency. Hence, the list with the said letter should not be considered.”

 

However, this probably irked Dadarao Keche. When ‘The Hitavada’ contacted him for his version, Keche said, “The entire issue has been sorted out. Yesterday, the list I had given was cleared. My intention was only to ensure that my workers got some work.” Asked if it fit the propriety for an MLA to suggest names of contractors to whom work orders should be given, he replied, “Entire process has been carried out as per the norms.” When his attention was drawn to the letter written by the Deputy Secretary to ZP administration to not consider ‘the list’, Keche said that the same letter made a reference to General Administration Department’s Government Resolution dated January 10, 2023. “Everything has been done as per that reference. The works have been planned accordingly,” he said before ending the phone call. As the controversy has erupted on the eve of the commencement of Winter Session of State Legislature in Nagpur, the Opposition is likely to use it to target the Government side.