Nagpur: In the last meeting before the expiry of its five-year term, the general body of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) on Wednesday scrapped the policy implemented by the civic administration to impose norms of unified development control and promotion regulations (UDCPR) and recover building plan sanction charges for construction of houses in slum areas.
The house also decided to continue inquiry into Bogus Contracts Scam through a retired judge to find out any such irregularities in contracts and payment disbursed to contractors in the last five years.
On February 26, TOI was the first to report that the civic body has made building plan sanction charges, guidelines of UDCPR and submission of five types of documents mandatory for construction or redevelopment, regularization of houses in notified slum areas.
Probably for the first time in the history of the city, the civic body had framed a procedure for sanctioning building plans in notified slum areas. TOI had also reported about the impact of the policy on slum dwellers.
Citing TOI’s report, BJP corporator Sanjay Balpande said the administration did not have powers to prepare and implement such policy. “There are no provisions in any acts to levy charges and impose buildings norms as per UDCPR in slum areas. The policy is illegal and needs to be set aside,” he said. He received support of corporators from all parties.
Ruling party leader Avinash Thakre raised doubts over preparation and implementation of such a policy, which was never done in the last 50 years.
Stating that the policy was proper as per acts, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B said there was need to implement it as some people have constructed big residential as well as commercial buildings in notified slum areas and raking moolah.
Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari directed the administration to set aside the policy. “Administration should prepare separate policy for notified slum areas where big residential and commercial buildings have cropped up and another one for slum areas where poor people are residing,” the mayor said.
Activist Abhijeet Jha said slum dwellers have got justice as NMC has taken back its decision. “We staged demonstration and warned of severe agitation in case building plan charges were recovered from any slum dweller. NMC and other government agencies should think about expediting process of giving ownership rights to slum dwellers,” he said.
The house passed the recommendations of the committee headed by Thakre which inquired into the Bogus Contracts Scam.
A retired judge will conduct inquiry into contracts and payments given in the last five years. It was decided to withhold increment of one year of some employees and deduct one day salary of other employees whose names have surfaced in the scam.
From the report, it has come to fore that few files pertaining to contracts in which payments was disbursed to contractors are missing from NMC records. The NMC will intimate the economic offence wing to conduct investigation against another contractor, Shree Sai Ganesh Services.
BJP corporator Parineeta Fuke raised various controversies related to Dr Praveen Gantawar and his wife. She also raised lack of doctors, staff, machineries and requirements at Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya (IGR). Besides ordering suspension of Gantawar couple, the mayor issued directives for providing all facilities to IGR as demanded by Fuke.
Other Decisions By NMC GB
*Action on town planning department engineers for not showing building existing on plot in inspection report. Former mayor Sandip Joshi alleged various violations in building plan sanction on a plot
* Policy to give permission for mobile towers for five years
* No changes in property tax for next fiscal
* Climate Action Plan for improving city’s environment up to 2025-26
* Sports policy for facilitating necessary infrastructure and development of sportspersons
Tiwari’s comment on CM
While replying to Congress corporator Harish Gwalbanshi’s query as to why the last meeting of the general body was held online, mayor Dayashankar Tiwari said, “Your CM is enjoying and what about our enjoyment.” Tiwari also cited curbs by MVA government. A few days ago, BJP MLA Krishna Khopde was booked for making “derogatory” remarks about CM.
Former mayor Sandip Joshi said, “This will be the last meeting for Gwalbanshi and he will make no further appearance in this house.” Joshi is BJP’s West Nagpur in-charge for elections and Gwalbanshi is one of the corporators of Congress from the constituency. Gwalbanshi said, “People will decide my fate on basis of my performance. People have taught Joshi a lesson in MLC elections,” he said.
The house also decided to continue inquiry into Bogus Contracts Scam through a retired judge to find out any such irregularities in contracts and payment disbursed to contractors in the last five years.
On February 26, TOI was the first to report that the civic body has made building plan sanction charges, guidelines of UDCPR and submission of five types of documents mandatory for construction or redevelopment, regularization of houses in notified slum areas.
Probably for the first time in the history of the city, the civic body had framed a procedure for sanctioning building plans in notified slum areas. TOI had also reported about the impact of the policy on slum dwellers.
Citing TOI’s report, BJP corporator Sanjay Balpande said the administration did not have powers to prepare and implement such policy. “There are no provisions in any acts to levy charges and impose buildings norms as per UDCPR in slum areas. The policy is illegal and needs to be set aside,” he said. He received support of corporators from all parties.
Ruling party leader Avinash Thakre raised doubts over preparation and implementation of such a policy, which was never done in the last 50 years.
Stating that the policy was proper as per acts, municipal commissioner Radhakrishnan B said there was need to implement it as some people have constructed big residential as well as commercial buildings in notified slum areas and raking moolah.
Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari directed the administration to set aside the policy. “Administration should prepare separate policy for notified slum areas where big residential and commercial buildings have cropped up and another one for slum areas where poor people are residing,” the mayor said.
Activist Abhijeet Jha said slum dwellers have got justice as NMC has taken back its decision. “We staged demonstration and warned of severe agitation in case building plan charges were recovered from any slum dweller. NMC and other government agencies should think about expediting process of giving ownership rights to slum dwellers,” he said.
The house passed the recommendations of the committee headed by Thakre which inquired into the Bogus Contracts Scam.
A retired judge will conduct inquiry into contracts and payments given in the last five years. It was decided to withhold increment of one year of some employees and deduct one day salary of other employees whose names have surfaced in the scam.
From the report, it has come to fore that few files pertaining to contracts in which payments was disbursed to contractors are missing from NMC records. The NMC will intimate the economic offence wing to conduct investigation against another contractor, Shree Sai Ganesh Services.
BJP corporator Parineeta Fuke raised various controversies related to Dr Praveen Gantawar and his wife. She also raised lack of doctors, staff, machineries and requirements at Indira Gandhi Rugnalaya (IGR). Besides ordering suspension of Gantawar couple, the mayor issued directives for providing all facilities to IGR as demanded by Fuke.
Other Decisions By NMC GB
*Action on town planning department engineers for not showing building existing on plot in inspection report. Former mayor Sandip Joshi alleged various violations in building plan sanction on a plot
* Policy to give permission for mobile towers for five years
* No changes in property tax for next fiscal
* Climate Action Plan for improving city’s environment up to 2025-26
* Sports policy for facilitating necessary infrastructure and development of sportspersons
Tiwari’s comment on CM
While replying to Congress corporator Harish Gwalbanshi’s query as to why the last meeting of the general body was held online, mayor Dayashankar Tiwari said, “Your CM is enjoying and what about our enjoyment.” Tiwari also cited curbs by MVA government. A few days ago, BJP MLA Krishna Khopde was booked for making “derogatory” remarks about CM.
Former mayor Sandip Joshi said, “This will be the last meeting for Gwalbanshi and he will make no further appearance in this house.” Joshi is BJP’s West Nagpur in-charge for elections and Gwalbanshi is one of the corporators of Congress from the constituency. Gwalbanshi said, “People will decide my fate on basis of my performance. People have taught Joshi a lesson in MLC elections,” he said.
