Times of India: Nagpur: Saturday,
May 28, 2016.
Now, the
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) have no
reason to spare the unauthorized banquet hall constructed by Laxmi Nagar-based
Scientific Cooperative Housing Society Ltd on a playground. The state
information commission (SIC) has passed an order directing the civic chief to
take over the playground and also register ownership in its name. Thus, the
hall will totally become an illegal structure.
Activist TH
Naidu had sought information related to the playground under the Right to
Information (RTI) Act from the NMC. Due to unsatisfactory reply, Naidu had
filed an appeal with the SIC. State information commissioner Vasant Patil
passed the order on Naidu's appeal.
"I
received a copy of the order a couple of days ago. The land on which Scientific
Society had constructed the hall is an open space of the layout. Norms say open
space has to be handed over to the local body. NMC had stated in its response
that the open space was never handed over to it. Therefore, I raised the issue
the SIC," Naidu said.
"Provide
map of open space of Scientific Society to the applicant free of cost. Also,
provide copies of PIL 40/2013 to the applicant free of cost. Civic chief should
prepare a time bound programme and take over the open space. Also, the civic chief
should ensure mutation of the open space's ownership in NMC's name," Patil
ordered.
Naidu said
now NMC will become owner of the land. "The society had constructed the
hall for commercial purpose on the playground. No commercial structure can come
up on a playground. NMC cannot give an open space on lease leave aside giving
it for commercial purpose. Therefore, the hall has to be demolished," he
said.
TOI had
exposed about the unauthorized hall constructed on the playground in September
2013. There are various types of irregularities in the hall. Still, the NMC had
not taken any action except issuing notice to the society. The society is
hosting marriages and other types of functions in the hall in collusion with
the NMC officials.
The NIT had
sanctioned building plan of badminton hall for the society some years ago. In
2010, the NMC had sanctioned building plan for addition and alteration to the
hall that too in the name of the society.
A detailed
verification revealed the playground was in the name of NIT as it sanctioned
the layout. The NIT had handed over layout to the NMC, but not the open space.
"First,
the NIT and then the NMC committed irregularity by sanctioning the building
plans. Municipal commissioner Shravan Hardikar should also take action against
the officials," Naidu said.
Secretary of
the society Arvind Gadhikar told TOI the society owns the playground. "The
playground is in the name of NIT as per city survey records. We have documents
to prove the playground belongs to the society. We had filed a case with the
superintendent of land records claiming it as our property. Decision is yet to
come. I am not aware of any order passed by the SIC," he said.
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