by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
Sanjay Nirupam
Mumbai: Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam today alleged that the Civic Body Chief Ajoy Mehta has been misguiding and misleading the people of Mumbai. Mr. Nirupam had earlier exposed the BMC Commissioner of sanctioning the permission for amalgamation of the ‘Dhobi Ghat’ in Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi area, which is a 140-year old heritage site, with the adjacent Shri Ram and Hanuman Temple in the vicinity to be brought under the SRA Scheme and redeveloped under the Maharashtra Slum Areas (Improvement, Clearance and Redevelopment) Act, 1971.
Declining the claims made by the Mumbai Congress Unit Chief, BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta stated in news reports that the BMC has no role in the entire process since the plan is approved by the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA). Mehta further said that the matter falls under the SRA’s purview.
Attacking the civic body chief once again, Sanjay Nirupam said, “Ajoy Mehta is now denying all the claims but he is aware of the fact that he has been caught red-handed. Only because the BMC Commissioner has been caught in his own act, he is trying to shift the blame on the SRA. The letter written by the Chief Engineer of Development Plan to the architect clearly states that it was the BMC Commissioner himself who accorded sanction for amalgamation of the existing Dhobi Ghat and Sri Ram & Hanuman Temple under the SRA Scheme. It is clear that the said amalgamation was done at the behest of Mehta himself in order to benefit the builders”.
Earlier Sanjay Nirupam had visited the Dhobi Ghat in Mahalakshmi and produced a letter dated August 13, 2018 which was written by Chief Engineer of Development Plan S.P. Darade to Architect AnandDhokay proposing that the entire Dhobi Ghat, the existing temple and the surrounding open spaces spread over a total area of 2650 sq. mt be amalgamated and redeveloped under the SRA Scheme. Nirupam also accused the BMC Commissioner of conveting the 140-year old Dhobi Ghat into slums to fill coffers of private builders.
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News
Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam (Photo Credit: The Hindu)
Urging the CM to take stringent actions against Mehta, Sanjay Nirupam questions the convenient and consistent ignorance shown by the Maha CM despite repeated scams of the BMC Commissioner being exposed every passing day
Mumbai: Mumbai Congress President Sanjay Nirupam today wrote a forthright letter to Maha CM Devendra Fadnavis demanding him to suspend the BMC Commissioner Ajoy Mehta with immediate effect. He has also demanded stringent actions be taken against the BMC Commissioner after exposing the later’s involvement and nexus with the private owners in the Jogeshwari land scam worth Rs. 500 Crore.
Sanjay Nirupam states in the letter, “The fact that the Jogeshwari plot in question worth Rs. 500 crores admeasuring 13,000 sq mts which was initially reserved for a hospital and other public purposes was deliberately allowed by default to be returned to the private owners makes it evident that this is a major scam in which the Municipal Commissioner appears to be hand in glove with the private owner”.
Enlisting various acts of omission and commission on the part of the BMC Commissioner and his sub-ordinates which eventually led to this scam, Sanjay Nirupam said, “Why didn’t Ajoy Mehta approach the Supreme Court when the civic body lost the case in High Court? Also, being the head of the DP Dept, it was the prime responsibility of the BMC Commissioner to track the whole case instead of completely leaving it up to the Law Dept Officials. This indicates gross dereliction of duty or deliberate inaction in furtherance of a criminal conspiracy on the part of the BMC Commissioner”.
Mr. Nirupam effectively pointed out the fact that the clerk of the DP Dept headed by the BMC Commissioner himself was arrested in this case after he filed a police complaint against two unknown persons for tampering the BMC Commissioner’s notings on the case file.
Targeting the understated discrimination that runs in the BMC against the minorities Mr. Nirupam said, “Mr. Valmiki, a Dalit peon of the DP Dept who was in-charge of this file fell to his death from a running train only for his family to be at the receiving end of lack of concern from the BMC, the BJP and the Shiv Sena. His death needs to be investigated. We need to find out whether this was an accident or a murder executed only to wipe out evidence since he was a crucial witness”.
In the hard-hitting letter, Sanjay Nirupam also pointed out the increasing risk to life of the Mumbaikars due to sheer negligence by the Mehta- led BMC as he further accused the BMC Chief of criminal conspiracy in the Jogeshwari land scam. The Mumbai Congress Chief yesterday led a delegation of Congress corporators and met with the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 1) to file an FIR against the corrupt activities of the BMC Commissioner and some top officials in the civic body. The Mumbai Congress Unit led by Mr. Nirupam awaits immediate suspension of the BMC Commissioner following the fact that his involvement in the Jogeshwari land scam worth Rs. 500 Crore has been exposed. Prior to this, the Mumbai Congress President has exposed Ajoy Mehta’s involvement in multiple scams which has looted the Mumbaikars off thousands of crores. Not just the Congress Party but the common man awaits justice by the Maha CM in the form of Ajoy Mehta’s suspension.
