Maharashtra wants information commissioner removed
By IANSTuesday, January 11, 2011
MUMBAI - The Maharashtra cabinet Tuesday decided to recommend the removal of State Information Commissioner Ramanand Tiwari for his alleged involvement in the Adarsh Co-operative Housing Society scam in Mumbai.
A proposal to initiate suitable action under Section 17 of the Right To Information (RTI) Act, 2005 has been sent to Governor K. Sankaranarayanan. The RTI section deals with removal of a state information commissioner.
Among other things, Tiwari, a former Indian Administrative Service official who now holds a constitutional post, has been accused of withholding crucial information on the Adarsh society, in which several politicians and bureaucrats are members.
When the building got government clearance, Tiwari was the in-charge of the urban development department. His son Omkar also owns a flat in the society.
Tiwari last week sought permission from the governor to proceed on 83-day leave from Jan 7-April 30. His leave application was rejected.
The scam has claimed the job of former chief minister Ashok Chavan after allegations surfaced of collusion between bureaucrats and politicians to corner flats in the 31-storey building constructed on a prime plot measuring nearly 6,500 sq m in the posh Colaba area of south Mumbai.
The flats in the building were originally meant for Kargil war widows and heroes.
