Six MPCB officials suspended in Pune over alleged payoffs for industrial permissions

Six officials of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) have been suspended over alleged financial dealings linked to industrial permissions in Pune. The action has caused a stir in the board.

The suspended officials include one regional officer, two sub-regional officers and three field officers, six in all. It is being said that large financial transactions took place in the board and that major irregularities have come to light.

According to the official order, complaints were received along with video evidence. The explanation offered by the officials was found unsatisfactory and rejected. A departmental inquiry in the matter is still pending, meaning it has not been completed.

A video showing the suspended officials taking money is going viral, and the video dates from September. Several complaints were made in the case, and one was also lodged by email. It has been said that the money was taken on the orders of a "saheb", but who this person is needs to be established.

The link between the case and the process of granting approvals to industries will be investigated in depth. The order states that the suspension has been made subject to the inquiry and will remain in force until the next order.

During the suspension, the officials' headquarters has been fixed at the MPCB head office in Mumbai. The order also makes clear that they cannot leave the headquarters without the prior permission of the controlling authorities.

The six suspended officials are: regional officer Babasaheb Kukade, sub-regional officers Navnath Avtade and Kartikeya Langote, and field officers Sushma Kumbhar, Jayant Doke and Ajay Khamkar.

For now, the case remains under investigation. The departmental inquiry is pending, the suspension stands, and the identity of the "saheb" behind the alleged transactions seen in the video is yet to be established. The inquiry into the link with the approvals process is also still to be carried out.