Illegal structures in Mira-Bhayandar: 7 civic officials in dock

Two have been in ACB net before

Alarmed by the rising number of complaints against illegal constructions, coupled with the inaction of those supposed to tackle the menace, Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation’s (MBMC) additional commissioner Madhav Kusekar has slapped show cause notices on seven officials.

The matter came to light after social activist Azim Tamboli obtained information through a Right To Information (RTI) query. Notices have been slapped on ward officials Jagdish Bhupatrao, Sunil Yadav, Narendra Chavan, Sudam Godse, Sanjay Donde and junior engineers Umesh Avchar and Yashwant Deshmukh.

Served under the relevant sections of the Monopolistic and Restrictive Trade Practice (MRTP) Act, the notices seek explanation from the concerned officials for their alleged role in refraining from action against unauthorized structures and their unexplained absenteeism from official hearings on matters related to grievances against illegal constructions. It should be noted that tackling illegal constructions and disallowing them in their respective jurisdictions is the responsibility of ward officers.

Interestingly, Sunil Yadav and Sanjay Donde (who also heads the anti-encroachment wing) have landed in the AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB) net in the past for demanding and accepting bribes to overlook illegal constructions, only to be reinstated later, to more lucrative postings, despite their dubious track record."There appears to be collusion and unlawful gratification for allowing illegal structures. It’s a clear case of judicial contempt.” said Tamboli. To streamline the administration and curb the monopoly of certain officials, the erstwhile municipal commissioner Dr. Naresh Gite had sought the induction of state government officials in the civic cadre on deputation as ward officials. However, the proposal has been pending for over a year now.