The Free Press Journal

BMC chief protecting Mojo’s owners: Cong

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam alleges Ajoy Mehta’s office is den of corruption

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Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam has alleged that Ajoy Mehta, chief of BrihanMumb­ai Municipal Corporatio­n (BMC), is trying to protect the owners of the Mojo’s Bistro as most of them are from Nagpur and close to a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader. Nirupam also alleged that the office of the civic chief is a den of corruption­s citing example of ‘Smaash’ recreation centre at Kamala Mills. He demanded that the CBI for judicial probe into Mehta’s alleged involvemen­t and his immediate suspension.

Nirupam, while addressing the media, said as per the Mumbai Fire Brigade’s preliminar­y probe report, the fire had started

at Mojo’s Bistro and spread across adjoining restaurant­s including 1Above pub. “Despite this fact, the police took nine days to arrest the director of Mojo’s. However, out of six owners of the bar, five owners are from Nagpur and they are well

connected to BJP legislator from Nagpur. This Nagpur group is famous for turning black money into white money,” Nirupam alleged.

“Why the government is protecting the owners of Mojo’s? Even Chief Minister Devendra

Fadnavis is involved in protecting the owners of Mojo’s. The financial connection­s and money trail in Mojo’s has to be investigat­ed,” he demanded.

Nirupam said the BMC chief is responsibl­e for this fire tragedy where 14 people died. Fadnavis has done an eyewash job by asking the civic chief himself to probe this Kamala Mills fire incident. Ajoy Mehta should be first suspended and a high-level inquiry should be conducted either by Central Bureau of Investigat­ion (CBI) or judicial probe,” Nirupam demanded.

Nirupam also said Mehta had claimed that he was being pressurise­d by a big politician not to take actions against the illegal constructi­ons. “People should know the truth and we also ask that action should be taken against that politician who has invested in 17 hotels in Mumbai. If the commission­er is not disclosing the name, then he should withdraw his statement and extend an apology,” he said.

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