Octroi, water issues dominate discussion in BMC

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Mumbai, May 7 (UNI) Octroi and water issues dominated discussions in the BMC House today with councillors alleging that a big cartel was working hand in glove with officials from the octroi department, thus depriving the civic body of its share of revenue.

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) councillor Rajan Chowgule alleged there is mass corruption in various departments of octroi, and there are agents, who work with the officials.

Congress corporator Samir Desai seconded the issue by taking names and alleged there were many agents in and around the octroi offices who could get anything cleared.

The new BMC Commissioner Jairaj Phatak took note of the issues and the Mayor Dr Shubha Raul said the complaint will be taken care of and strict action will be taken against corrupt officials.

Standing Committee Chairman Ravindra Waikar said corporators should bring corruption in the department out in the open and when a vehicle or an officer is caught red handed then strict action should be taken against them.

Congress Councillor Upendra Doshi said that if corruption cannot be curbed in the octroi department, then octroi should be abolished and another form of tax should be introduced.

Sena corporators opposed the idea and said that corruption should be curbed in octroi department.

Leader of the House Sunil Prabhu said that in the home town of the Chief Minister, octroi was abolished and the Latur Municipal Corporation could not carry out any development work because there was no source of income to the Corporation.

Phatak and Raul passsed a resolution to take strict action against the offending officials and also the agents in the octroi department.

Apart from Octroi, water was another issue figuring for discussion in the House with the pipe leak on Friday in Jogeshwari dominating proceedings as it was the seventh pipe burst in the city in the last fortnight.

The councillors, including Standing Committe Chairman Mangesh Satamkar, Congressman Amin Patel and others said that the city is facing an acute shortage of water and with these leaks there is a tremendous increase in the shortage of water.

NCP Corporator from Wadala Niyaz Ahmed Vanu said a few days ago, there was a water leak in his ward and when he tried to make a complaint to the water department, he was shocked to find out that the telephone numbers were out of order for the last six months. He requested the BMC commissioner to look into the water problem and get the phone lines of the water reservoir office started. Mayor Raul took note of the complaint and announced that that the needful would be done.

UNI

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