Thirteen MBMC corporators under scanner for illegal constructions

HEARING BY CIVIC CHIEF SCHEDULED ON FEBRUARY 15

13 corporators, including the mayor and deputy mayor in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), are under the scanner for their alleged involvement in cases pertaining to illegal constructions.

Interestingly, 12 out of the 13 corporators belong to the BJP, which rules the MBMC, even as one corporator, Anita Patil, represents the Shiv Sena. Mayor Dimple Mehta and Meghna Rawal (both BJP) are facing charges for illegal structures reportedly constructed by their spouses. Seven BJP corporators, including Deputy Mayor Chandrakant Vaity as well as Prashant Dalvi, Dipika Arora, Hema Belani, Anand Manjrekar, Dhruv

Kishore Patil and Suresh Khandelwal are accused for allegedly exerting pressure to prevent the demolition of an illegal structure that had sprung up on an amenity tagged space in Shanti Park, Mira Road. Other BJP corporators include Parshuram Mhatre, Neela Soans and Vijay Rai.

The civic chief will verify the complaints in a hearing scheduled on February 15. In accordance to the rules framed under the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, corporators can be disqualified if they, their spouses or their dependents are involved in illegal construction or found to be sheltering them.

The civic chief, after examining the details, will prepare the disqualification proposal to approach the small cause’s court. But, before knocking judicial doors, the administration is mandated to get a nod from the general body (GB), albeit there are any doubts or complications. However, if the GB rejects the proposal, no action will be initiated. Notably, in the earlier terms of the MBMC, the GB house cutting across party lines had conveniently rejected resolutions mooted to disqualify corporators.