The menace of octroi mafias in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has once again come to the fore with the civic law committee chairman Makarand Narvekar complaining of receiving threats from the mafias. He has also demanded police protection in view of the threat.
In a letter sent to city police commissioner Dr Satyapal Singh, the newly-elected law committee chairman said that two unknown persons entered his office at the civic headquarters on Saturday and warned him of dire consequences if he pursued the matter of octroi evasion.
Speaking to The Asian Age, Mr Narvekar said, “During my discrete visit to the Mumbai-Pune Highway check naka at Vashi on May 1, I found several vehicles blatantly driving past without paying octroi. I intercepted eight such vehicles and brought them to the BMC yard. However, when I informed senior officials from octroi department about this, they decided not to respond to my calls.”
The reply of additional municipal commissioner Rajiv Jalota was most shocking, said Mr Narv-ekar. “Expressing helplessness, Mr Jalota said that he was aware of the modus operandi of octroi mafias and could not do anything about it,” he said.
Mr Narvekar added,“This kind of irresponsible statement from a top official is just not acceptable. He is turning a blind eye towards the blatant corruption happening under his nose. When V. Radha was the joint commissioner during the year 2007-08, the yearly collection had increased by a whopping `1,100 crore. This shows that what responsible officers can achieve with firm determination and sustained efforts. I have asked the municipal commissioner to act against Mr Jalota and other officials.”
It’s not the first time that the corporators have faced the hooliganism of octroi mafias. A few years ago, senior BJP corproator Manoj Kotak was assaulted by goons at Mulund check naka for trying to curb octroi evasion. However, when asked about it, Mr Jalota refused to comment on the issue.