CIVIC APATHY PUTS DAHISAR OPEN SPACE AT RISK

MUMBAI: The Brihanmumba Municipal Corporation (BMC) may miss an opportunity to acquire an open plot reserved for a playground. Reason: There is just a day left to acquire the plot

Opposition parties have said the civic body won’t be able to acquire the plot in such a short duration.

The private owner of the plot measuring 853.40 sqm at Dahisar had issued purchase notice for Rs3 crore in early January 2015, which is all set to lapse on January 4, 2016 If the procedures for purchase are not completed by then, the lapsed notice would mean the BMC loses its chance to acquire the plot Though the proposal was passed as an urgent business on Saturday by the general body and was first cleared in the civic improvements committee on Tuesday, the oppo sition corporators alleged the procedure of purchase can’t be completed unless a notice is issued from collector office.

Congress corporator Devendra Amberkar, said, “We want to increase open spaces in the city but civic officials are purposely neglecting such purchase notices This notice is likely to lapse as the last date is on Monday and the civic body still needs to get the collec tor’s sanction.” Another Congress corporator Mohsin Haider, said “This has become a routine prac tice of the civic officials of neglect ing the purchase notices and get them for approval at last minute which needs to be stopped.”

A civic official, requesting ano nymity, said, “We have started the process of purchasing that plot as the general body has now given