In a recent development, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has raised allegations against the Maharashtra government, accusing it of waiving a hefty fine imposed on Megha Engineering and Infra Corp Pvt Ltd. The company, which reportedly contributed Rs 584 crore through electoral bonds to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saw a fine of Rs 105 crore waived.
During a budget allocation discussion, NCP (SP) MLA Jayant Patil highlighted the issue, stating, “The company secured a contract worth Rs 932 crore for the Satara-Pandharpur road project. It was also granted permission to mine 5,000 brass minerals in Khatav tehsil of Satara, but ended up extracting 2.45 lakh brass minerals, leading to the imposition of a Rs 105 crore fine by the tehsildar. Despite the matter being under review by higher officials, the Satara collector intervened and waived the fine. This raises questions about potential vested interests.”
Patil further called for an inquiry into whether the Satara collector had any ulterior motives in waiving the fine. “The company’s significant contributions through electoral bonds to the ruling party raise concerns about preferential treatment in securing lucrative government contracts,” he added.
According to Patil, Megha Engineering, despite causing revenue losses to the state, has been awarded contracts worth Rs 2,661 crore for the Pune ring road and a staggering Rs 14,400 crore for the double tunnel project between Thane and Borivli.
The allegations underscore ongoing debates about transparency and accountability in governance, particularly concerning electoral funding and contract awards.