Sunday, January 25, 2015

‘Why is NMMC expecting revenue from only 54 mobile towers ?’

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.