NMC ‘notices’ Cong corporator’s illegal lawn at Futala Lake bank but takes no action

  • | Wednesday | 27th March, 2019

He then allegedly fenced the land in his possession and converted the bank into a lawn. According to Deshpande, the beautification project of the lake will be defeated if these illegal activities continue. “Actually, the PDKV had allowed Chowdhary’s ancestor for grazing their cattle at the north portion of the lake’s bank,” said the source.Since 2015, Chowdhary started dumping debris to level the bank’s portion. Activists pointed out that recently the NMC anti-encroachment squad had become active following municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar’s directives for a clamp down on illegal structures. Despite repeated attempts, Kamlesh Chowdhary was not available for his comments.

Nagpur: Sometimes, it seems, the lawmakers are above law. A case to illustrate this is the blatant disregard to the rules by Congress corporator Kamlesh Chowdhary who has been able to go unscathed from any action from the Dharampeth zone of Nagpur Municipal Corporation.Chowdhary is accused of illegally carving out a lawn at the bank of Futala Lake by fencing around 5.40 acre along the Botanical Garden near Vayusena Nagar. What’s more? He had been using this land for commercial use. The NMC has been issuing him notices since 2015 — the latest being on December 6, 2018 — but to no avail.Sources in the Dharampeth zone said that Chowdhary was in possession of the land owned by Panjabrao Deshmukh Krishi Vidyapeeth since last many decades. “Actually, the PDKV had allowed Chowdhary’s ancestor for grazing their cattle at the north portion of the lake’s bank,” said the source.Since 2015, Chowdhary started dumping debris to level the bank’s portion. He then allegedly fenced the land in his possession and converted the bank into a lawn. Though Chowdhary had sought legal redressal to keep the 5.40 acre land, he never obtained any permission from the zone’s office.Every time, the NMC’s Dharampeth zone gave a 7-day deadline to Chowdhary to produce sanction plan of the lawn, no objection certificates required for the lawn and the construction thereon. On each occasion, the zone had asked Chowdhary to stop commercial use of the lake’s bank and raze all illegal constructions.“Neither the corporator provided any documentary evidence nor the zone initiated any action,” said a source from the zone.Though zone’s assistant municipal commissioner Mahesh Moroney could not be contacted, social activists are peeved over NMC’s delay in taking action. Activists pointed out that recently the NMC anti-encroachment squad had become active following municipal commissioner Abhijit Bangar’s directives for a clamp down on illegal structures. “However, only small vendors and hawkers were being targeted,” the activists alleged.“When it comes to take action against illegal constructions or encroachments, different parameters are being applied by the civic body,” activists said.Coming down on the zone for overlooking illegal construction at the lake’s bank, environment activist Shrikant Deshpande demanded the civic chief to look into the matter. According to Deshpande, the beautification project of the lake will be defeated if these illegal activities continue. Despite repeated attempts, Kamlesh Chowdhary was not available for his comments.

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