Cancel MoU with Reliance Group on operating Yavatmal airstrip: Sanjay Rathod

YAVATMAL (MAHA): The Minister of State for Revenue Sanjay Rathod has demanded cancellation of the agreement inked between Maharashtra government and Reliance Group led by Anil Ambani as it failed to start operation of the airstrip at village Bhari near here.

Rathod, who is the district guardian minister, after attending a meeting with state Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar in this regard in Mumbai yesterday, said he has proposed for the immediate cancellation of the MoU signed between the previous Congress-DF government and Reliance Infrastructure.

He said the company has not taken any initiative to operate the airstrip for the last six years since the MoU was signed.

Rathod told PTI that Mungantiwar at the meeting instructed officials and representatives of the company concerned to submit a report regarding the status of the airstrip and if the company is interested in starting the operations or not.

It may be recalled that in 1998, MIDC authorities had developed an airstrip in village Bhari, 7 kms from here, on Nagpur-Yavatmal national highway.

The airstrip was build in order to facilitate the visit of officers and senior engineers of Raymond Textile mill which is located in Lohara village.

But the DF government during the regime of former chief minister Ashok Chavan had entered into an agreement with the company and accordingly handed over six aerodromes across the state to take care of operations for a period of 95 years.

Yavatmal airstrip was one of the six aerodromes given to Reliance Group.

Immediately after signing the MoU, the state government had invested huge sums of money for expanding and upgrading the run way as it was one of the conditions in the agreement.

The then sitting MLA of Yavatmal Nilesh Parvekar had also demanded night landing facility at the aerodrome.

Former district guardian minister Nitin Raut had cautioned Reliance of cancelling the MoU if they fail to start operation of the aerodrome alongnwith the night landing facility.

However, no such action was taken towards cancellation of the MoU.

Meanwhile, an email sent to the company spokesperson did not elicit any response.