MUMBAI, March 13 -- The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday attacked deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, alleging large-scale corruption in matters relating to the state urban development department, which Shinde heads. Sena (UBT) legislator Anil Parab alleged in the state legislative council that there was corruption in various undertakings under the UDD, such as the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation. The alleged corrupt practices were rampant before the recent civic elections, when these bodies were headed by municipal commissioners, he said. Parab claimed that these practices had cost the government hundreds of crores in revenue, and asked who was protecting the officials and private companies involved. He also demanded a probe by a special investigation team (SIT). Speaking during a debate on matters concerning the UDD, Parab pointed to cost escalations in road projects. He said that, in one case, the court had ordered that fresh tenders be floated, which would bring down the project cost from Rs.3,000 crore to Rs.2,000 crore. He also alleged massive corruption in work relating to the new Navi Mumbai International Airport under CIDCO. A private company was awarded a contract for excavation of soil and other material estimated at 1.05 crore brass, on which it had to pay the government royalty. Instead, the company allegedly paid royalty on only 22 lakh brass. "The government lost revenue of Rs.496.90 crore in this case. Why was action not take against the company? Who is protecting it," asked Parab. Parab also alleged that 100-odd illegal quarries were being operated in Navi Mumbai and nearby areas, costing the government hundreds of crores of rupees in revenue. "In Panvel- Uran, there are 80 quarries and only two have environmental clearance. The rest are illegal. In other areas, like Kharghar and Valvali near Panvel, over 25 quarries were running without environmental permission, he alleged. "Hills have been destroyed and the government has lost hundreds of crores. Still, the government is not taking any action," said Parab. He also raised concerns over alleged corruption in the allotment of homes under a Project Affected Persons (PAP) scheme in the BMC, adding that civic ward officers and junior engineers were involved. In Andheri, a certain project had rendered 144 families as PAPs, who should have received alternative homes. Instead, the ward officer and other civic officers told 24 of these PAP families they were not eligible for alternative homes. Instead, they offered the families Rs.5-10 lakh each to vacate their homes, which they then sold for Rs.40-60 lakh each, he alleged. "Similar PAP scams have taken place elsewhere. How do they brazenly engage in such corruption? Who is protecting them," asked Parab, who pointed to an alleged scam in Transferable Development Rights (TDR) in the Ulhas Nagar Municipal Corporation. Parab said these cases were only the tip of the iceberg and the government should set up a special investigation team (SIT) to probe matters in the UDD. Shinde is expected to respond to the allegations when he replies to the debate....