Mumbai is the worst-affected city in India. | Photo Credit: PTI

Key Highlights It takes around 6 hours to go from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar by road Seeing how they managed to get away easily, it seems like these people used their influence to get an emergency pass to cross the numerous toll plazas on the way

Mumbai: The Wadhawans, defaulters of the HDIL real estate development company and DHFL financial management group, are once again in the news for all wrong reasons.

At a time the state of Maharashtra, the worst-affected across India, is grappling with the rising cases of coronavirus pandemic, 23 members of the Wadhawan family allegedly drove all the way to Mahabaleshwar from Mumbai to ‘chill’.

This could be seen as a massive VVIP violation as the HDIL honcho Rakesh Wadhawan’s family broke the law and escaped the lockdown to go on a vacation to Mahabaleshwar.

However, as soon as authorities found out, they rounded up all the 23 members of the Wadhawan family and sent them into quarantine as soon as they reached Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra’s Satara district.

What’s bewildering is the fact that it takes around 6 hours to go from Mumbai to Mahabaleshwar by road and seeing how they managed to get away easily, it seems like these people managed to use their influence and get an emergency pass to cross the numerous toll plazas on the way.

Also, if 23 people have driven all the way to Mahabaleshwar, they must have travelled in at least 4-5 cars. This also raises the question of how did they slip away in such a manner when strict guidelines are in force in Maharashtra.

Former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the state government over the incident and sought an explanation from CM Uddhav Thackeray and the state Home Minister.

“No lockdowns for mighty and rich in Maharashtra? One can spend holidays in Mahabaleshwar with official permission from police. It is not possible that a senior IPS officer would do such gross mistake knowing the consequences on his own. With whose order or blessings was this done? Mr CM and HM, you owe us an explanation,” Fadnavis said on social media platform Twitter.

With whose order or blessings was this done ?

Mr. CM & HM you owe us an explanation.

(2/2) — Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) April 9, 2020

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh has said that “it will be inquired how 23 people of Wadhawan family got permission to travel from Khandala to Mahabaleshwar”.

We will conduct an inquiry to find out how 23 members of Wadhwan family travelled to Mahabaleshwar. — ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) April 9, 2020

Before details of the incident came to light, BJP's Ram Kadam accused the Maharashtra government of providing them passes because of which they slipped away. He sought a detailed inquiry into their trip, especially when there is a massive lockdown in place.

The process to file a complaint has now been initiated at the local police station.

Promoters of the bankrupt HDIL—Rakesh Wadhawan and Sarang Wadhawan—owe a whopping Rs 273 crores to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation in property tax, making it the single-largest property tax defaulter in the country’s richest municipality.