Official sent to ED custody till Mar 18; gave illegal nod to project

First India Bureau

Mumbai: A special court dealing with cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act on Tuesday remanded a sub-divisional officer in the Dapoli resort case to the custody of the Enforcement Directorate till March 18.

SDO Jairam Desh - pande was arrested by the ED in connection with the Sai Resort case at Dapoli in Ratnagiri district in which Sadanand Kadam, an alleged partner of Shiv Sena - Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray MLC Anil Parab, has already been held.

The agency has alleged that SDO Deshpande misused his po- sition to illegally grant permission for the conversion of the status of the plot of Sai Resort from “agricultural” to “non-agricultural” to facilitate the construction of twin bungalows. The official has been accused of granting permission for the construction of twin bungalows in a land area falling under Coastal Regulation Zone III (CRZ III), where construction is prohibited. Despite knowing the regulations, the accused reportedly gave the nod under pressure and influence from former state minister Anil Parab. The permission was granted through a sanction order for a conditional no-objec - tion certificate (NOC) to enable the construction of the bungalows.

Anil Parab, Sai Resort, Sea Conch Resort, and others are facing a money laundering case due to alleged violations of the Environment (Protection) Act and causing loss to the state government of Maharashtra. The case was filed by the Union environment and forest ministry and a linked state police FIR against the former minister and others.

Former state minister Anil Parab on Monday moved the Bombay High Court seeking to quash the money laundering case lodged by the ED in connection with the Sai Resort at Dapoli.