Moneylife: Mumbai: Saturday, December 16, 2017.
Following an
order from the Bombay High Court, the Maharashtra government has directed all
municipal corporations from the state to utilise funds collected from taxpayers
for providing basic facilities or amenities to citizens and not on organising
festivals or sponsoring religious events or functions.
Citing the
order issue by the HC, the State Government order issued on 29 November 2017,
has asked all municipal corporations across the state to ensure that their fund
are not used for religious ceremonies, festivals or functions.
Earlier,
after receiving information under Right to Information about almost Rs3 crore
spent by Mira Bhaindar Municipal Corp (MBMC), Pradeep Jangam had filed a public
interest litigation (PIL) in the Bombay HC. In his petition, Jangam highlighted
how MBMC spent funds sanctioned for civic facilities, on organising festivals
like Ganeshotsav, Navratri, Eid-ul-Zuha, Eid-ul-Fitr, Kartik Pournima, Chhat
Puja and Gudi Padwa, among others.
The reply he
received under RTI Act, revealed that every year MBMC spent more than Rs3 crore
for various religious festivals. For Ramzan Eid, the MBMC spent Rs3 lakh, for
Navratri the cost was Rs10 lakhs, almost Rs30 lakh for Mahavir Jayanti, Rs43
lakh for Vailankani Utsav, and a whopping Rs1.35 crore for Ganesh immersion
ceremony and many more, the RTI reply showed.
Justice Abhay
Oka of the Bombay HC, in his order in August 2017, directed all municipal
corporation in Maharashtra to utilise funds collected from citizens for providing
basic facilities and not for religious festivals. The High Court also asked the
municipal corporations to provide drinking water and basic facilities for
pre-approved or permitted programs and festivals in their jurisdiction. To
maintain cleanliness at the public places, the Court directed to provide toilet
facilities. “There is no substitute except to provide sanitary toilets or
drinking water when some thousands of people gather at a celebration,” the HC
stated.
But, the
court specified, “by no stretch of imagination can the action of the municipal
corporation of providing amenities … for religious or other functions of
organisations or religious organisations be said to be within the provisions of
the law”.
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