Top leaders get notices for illegal structures
In one of the toughest actions taken in recent times, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has issued a statutory notice to several top political leaders in the state for carrying out illegal constructions in their commercial premises.
Deputy chief minister and irrigation minister Ajit Pawar, former Union home minister and governor of Punjab Shivraj Patil, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee chief Manikrao Thakre, BJP leader Gopinath Munde, forest minister Patangrao Kadam and many others have been asked to face prosecution by the civic body if they do not remove these unauthorised constructions within one month.
The illegal constructions have been carried out in Sukhda Shubhada Co-operative Housing Society at Worli. The society has residential flats and commercial premises belonging to several political leaders.
This was revealed in the Right to Information (RTI) inquiry by social activists Amit Maru and Y.P. Singh.
Taking note of this, BMC’s building proposal department issued notices under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act 1966 asking the political leaders to dismantle illegal constructions. The notice states that “unauthorised additions and alterations carried out beyond plans sanctioned should be removed. Failing to comply with the requisition within one month from the notice, you are liable for prosecution.”
“This society has been built on land earlier owned by the Mumbai police. However, it was taken away from the home department and given to the political leaders for constructing posh flats and commercial premises in 2004,” said Mr Singh.
“This is a scam somewhat similar to that of Adarsh. In the Adarsh scam, it was defence land, while here it is police land. The allotment of this land should be cancelled and the land should be given back to the police department, which is desperately in need of setting up anti-terror and anti-crime units in the city,” said Mr Maru.
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