NCP legislator-linked sugar mill in Pune booked for starting crushing work before authorised date
The Maharashtra Police have registered a First Information Report against the Baramati Agro’s sugar mill in the Pune district for starting crushing operations before the authorised date. The FIR was registered against the managing director of the mill, which is under a company whose CEO is Nationalist Congress Party MLA Rohit Pawar, based on a complaint by the Pune Sugar Commissioner’s office.
The FIR, a copy of which is with The Indian Express, showed that the managing director of the mill, Subhash Gulave, has been booked under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. This section is used against people who disobey government orders and can attract a fine of Rs 1,000 or six months jail or both.
Unlike its neighbour Karnataka, the sugar mills in Maharashtra are legally bound to start their operations only after the date fixed by a chief minister-headed high-power committee.
Managing directors and general managers of the mills are liable to be prosecuted if the mills start their operations before that prescribed date. The regional joint directors are supposed to file the FIRs in the nearest police station in case of violation.
Located in the village of Shetphal in Indapur taluka of Pune, the sugar mill of Baramati Agro was flagged by BJP MLC Ram Shinde for starting operations before October 15, 2022, the date fixed by the committee to start crushing operation. Shinde had alleged that the mill had started its operation on October 10. The mill had denied all allegations and said the operations were taken to test out machineries and the overall working of the mill before the start of the season.
The sugar commissioner’s office had directed the office of the additional registrar of cooperative societies to investigate the matter. The report which was submitted in December confirmed that the mill started its operations on October 10. Based on this report, the regional joint director, sugar (Pune), filed the FIR in the Bhigwan police station on March 8.
Pawar was pitted against Ram Shinde from the Karjat Jamkhed assembly constituency in Ahmednagar district in the 2019 assembly elections. He had turned into a giant killer in his maiden attempt and defeated Shinde who had represented the constituency multiple times. Pawar was not available for comments.
