Tuesday, August 22, 2017

CONGRESS TAKES ON BJP’S RICHEST CORPORATOR OVER ILLEGAL PROPERTY

Pune Mirror: Pune: Tuesday, August 22, 2017.
RTI reveals violation of margin norms, among others, in Vijay Shewale’s plot in Sadashiv Peth
Pune city’s richest Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Vijay Shewale has come under scanner for unauthorised construction.
Shewale represents Bopodi area. Sudhir Kale, vice-president of Shivajinagar Congress block committee, has submitted documents pertaining to Shewale’s illegal construction at Ganeje Chowk in Sadashiv Peth to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner. Kale has even demanded to cancel Shewale’s membership from the civic body.
Kale received this information through Right To Information (RTI) application. Kale said, “Shewale has furnished incorrect information to the civic body. Therefore, the civic chief needs to revoke his membership under section-10 (1D) of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act. Also, the commissioner will have to take action against the officer concerned, who has failed to take cognisance of the illegal construction.”
According to Kale, Shewale is running a women’s hostel and Pushpaviaja Hotel in the area. Both the facilities are a part of the same structure. He has also claimed that the PMC’s various departments including the health, water supply and property tax departments, had sent notices to Shewale last year regarding the illegal construction. Recently, the Pune fire brigade department, too, had sent a notice to Shewale’s women’s hostel as the structure did not have a firefighting system in place and had violated margin norms.
Confirming this, Rajesh Guram, inspector of PMC’s building permission department, informed, “Last year, we had sent notices to Shewale. We had also taken action by removing the unauthorised part of the structure. He has filed a case against the corporation in this regard.”
When Mirror contacted Shewale, he denied all the allegations. “Four years ago, I had given my property on lease-basis to a person. Now, he is running the hotel and giving rooms to women as paying guests. However, the property originally belongs to me and I have not carried out any illegal construction there. The complainant is only trying to damage my image in the public,” Shewale said.
He continued, “I have also filed a case against PMC for issuing notices to me. And, we have got a stay from the PMC court and the final decision is still pending. I have also recorded the information on my court case in the affidavit filed for the nomination.”
Shewale has mentioned his property worth Rs 157.29 crore in his affidavit filed along with a nomination for civic polls in 2018. He also declared jewellery worth Rs 39.15 crore and investments in various banks. Furthermore, he possesses vehicles of different brands worth Rs 3 crore.