Times
of India: Navi-Mumbai: Sunday, 25 January 2015.
The civic
town planning department's records may show 98 mobile towers in Vashi but the
ward office expects to earn annual revenue from only 54 of them in the form of
taxes. The findings have emerged in response to an RTI filed by Vashi resident
Vaibhav Sawant in October last year which questioned the legality of the towers
in the ward.
Dissatisfied
with the response, Sawant has now sought a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau
(ACB) on Thursday.
Sawant wanted
to know the number of mobile towers in Vashi and the amount of annual revenue
expected by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Vashi ward office
stated that there are 54 towers in the node and annual revenue expected from
them is around Rs 86 lakh. "There is an obvious mismatch in the number
furnished by the town planning department and Vashi ward office. Also, if the
remaining mobile towers are legal then why are they not paying tax?" asked
Sawant.
After
cross-checking data with the list of mobile towers put up on NMMC website the
activists found that 27 towers in Vashi have permission while the remaining 71
will have to renew their approvals.
"Civic
officials have asked me to appeal again but considering the backlog at the RTI
office, it is unlikely that it will be promptly addressed," he added.
Health
hazards and the possible structural damage are his primary concern. "Many
residential towers in Vashi have permitted mobile towers for monetary gains,
without realizing the health risks. The police department has called me for a
meeting next week," added Sawant.
Attempts to
speak to the Vashi ward officer Rajendra Chaugule, who had responded to the
RTI, was unsuccessful while DMC zone 1 Subhash Ingle said he has to study the
issue before responding.