Prithviraj Chavan owns a flat in Mumbai, but in Wadala

MUMBAI - The newly elected Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Prithviraj Chavan, on Saturday rubbished all reports, which said that he was illegally allocated a flat in Wadala, Mumbai.

Addressing a press conference here today, Chavan said that he was allocated the flat from the quota meant for members of Parliament, and added that he had nothing to hide.

Prithviraj Chavan said that his mother had requested for allocation of a flat, as she was undergoing treatment for cancer at the Tata Memorial Hospital from the quota meant for former Members of Parliament, and added that the allocation was made in his name in 2003.

An RTI query reportedly revealed that Prithviraj Chavan has a flat in a society in Wadala under a scheme for weaker sections of the society.

He was sworn-in as the 22nd Chief Minister of Maharashtra on Thursday after former State Chief Minister Ashok Chavan was forced to step down from his post after his relatives’ names figured in the Adarsh Housing Society scam, in Colaba sea face.

Defence Minister A K Antony has recommended a CBI probe to fix responsibility of any alleged officials related to Armed Forces and Defence estates in the Adarsh Housing Scam.

He also asked the CBI to look into the circumstances under which a “No Objection Certificate” had been issued to the Adarsh Housing Society to construct the 31-storey building on a piece of land, which was in the “de facto” possession of the Army.

The probe agency will also investigate into the commitments made for allotment of flats in the 104-apartment society for Kargil widows and martyrs” families.

The scam came to light after Western Naval Commander Admiral Sanjeev Bhasin shot off a letter to the Army headquarters and the Defence Ministry seeking action against the building for posing a security threat to military installations. (ANI)