Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has cleared a departmental probe against 45 officials of Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC) including several engineers who had been indicted in the ND Vadnere committee report in 2010 . The VIDC officials including VIDC’s former chief executive director D P Shirke will now face probe on several counts such as for turning a blind eye to government norms while clearing cost escalations, non supervision of works on site and not following tender conditions. Speaking to media persons today Prithviraj Chavan said admitted that the probe which had been pending for two years has now been approved. According to the VIDC Act the executive director is supposed to act on the advice of the managing director and the water resources secretary. However this was not followed and Shirke had allegedly cleared revised estimates in most irrigation projects without anyone's consent on his own.