Times of India: Anjana Tripathi: Wednesday, January 22, 2020.
The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has withdrawn the tender floated for the appointment of a contractor for the construction of a road through Empress Van. The civic body, which was under immense pressure, has reportedly decided to proceed with the proposed road only after receiving its estimated cost of Rs 3.36 crore from the Maharashtra State Textile Corporation (MSTC) and permission from the Tree Authority for felling 380 full-grown trees.
even though a decision on MSTC’s application seeking cutting down of 380 trees was pending with the Tree Authority. The last date for submission of bids was October 8, 2019. NMC engineers said that tender has been withdrawn because the MSTC had not paid the money. “At a recent meeting, MSTC promised to deposit the amount.
The work order will be issued only after that,” they said. The NMC took over area of the proposed road from MSTC but overlooked the mandatory surrender of open space and public utility (PU) land of 13,122 sq.mt from MSTC. As per documents obtained under RTI Act by TH Naidu, MSTC had in 2014 planned to develop a Textile Park on the 66,201 sq mt land located in front of Empress Mall. It got approval for a layout with eight plots, open space, public utility (PU) land and one 15 meter wide road from the NMC on January 11, 2005.
The MSTC sold plot No.s 3-7 some years ago on which residential and commercial buildings have already come up. But the NMC did not take over open space and PU land. The remaining plots — 1, 2 and 8, open space, PU land and area for the road — are lying abandoned.
There were over 1,000 trees here. MSTC auctioned plot No.s 1, 2 and 8 couple of months ago. Royal Sandesh Business Park LLP, Orange City Garment Park and Acharya Shree Vidyasagar Garment Vyapari Welfare Society won the bids. NMC engineers said the process to take over open space and PU land will begin soon. BJP corporator Dayashankar Tiwari, who proposed the road and is pursuing the project, said it should be constructed at the earliest to ease congestion at the railway station. “A majority of trees on the property are subabul and need to be cut down,” he said.
Dilip Agrawal from Royal Sandesh Business Park said that it plans to develop garment and commercial shops on the plots. The NMC tree officer had issued a public notice dated July 2 inviting suggestions and objections on cutting down of 380 trees for proposed road. Over 800 objections were registered by people and activists. The NMC is likely to start hearing of those submitted suggestions and objections from next week. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has withdrawn the ten.
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