BJP-headed panel in BMC distributed plots worth Rs 2 lakh-cr

A day after BMC elections were announced, the NCP has accused the BJP of being a partner in "corruption" with Shiv Sena in the civic body and that prime plots, meant for public, "worth Rs 2 lakh crore" were given away to builders by a BJP-headed panel by "altering their reservation", in last two decades.
BJP, which has been a junior partner in the Sena-ruled BMC, has dismissed the charges as "baseless" and distanced the party from any change of reservation of plots as being alleged.
"BJP is in hand in glove with Shiv Sena in indulging in corrupt practices in BMC for the last two decades. BJP which headed the Improvement Committee in the civic body, had given away prime plots worth Rs 2 lakh crore, meant for public utility in Mumbai, to builders.

"There are many such cases where the Improvement Committee didn't complete the process of acquiring the plot and allowed it to be taken away by the builders," NCP spokesman Nawab Malik alleged in a press conference.
He said, "Rs 40 crore were received as kickbacks by the BJP for vacating reservation of a prime plot, admeasuring 3000 to 4000 sq mt, meant for a garden at Hill Road near Elco Market in suburban Bandra, which was handed over to a builder by the Improvement Committee."
He ridiculed a statement made by Mumbai unit BJP chief Ashish Shelar that his party wanted to ensure a transparent administration in BMC.

"For the last 22 years, BJP has held Education Committee, Improvement Committee and the post of Deputy Mayor. The party is equally responsible for all the irregularities in the civic body, including the road contract, scams in garbage, dumping ground and in equipment procurement," he alleged.

The richest civic body in country will go to polls on February 21, along with nine municipal corporations in state.
The NCP leader said his party will "expose" the BJP.
When contacted, Shelar told PTI, "Malik's charges are baseless. There should be an enquiry by ACB against Malik as hiding any information (about any irregularities) is a crime.

To a query on the prospects of tie-up for upcoming civic
as well as Zilla Parishad and Panchayat Samiti elections, which will also be held next month, the NCP leader said state unit president Sunil Tatkare has authorised district units to take a call on cementing alliance with "like minded parties."
"It is good that Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam doesn't want an alliance with us. It gives us time to prepare ourself. In 2002 and 2007 polls, we were kept waiting till the last moment and the decision was taken against the alliance. Though we had a pre-poll alliance in 2012, it didn't help us," Malik said.

He said the Congress' stand has offered NCP an opportunity to make preparations for elections in advance. "Earlier we were kept busy with seat-sharing talks till the last minute while alliance would be called off which gave us little time to prepare."
Malik said the NCP had bagged about 14 seats in 2002 and 2007 without an alliance. "In 2012, our number came down to 13 with alliance. Now since we are contesting alone we will double our existing tally," he added.
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Shelar said Malik was trying to "implicate" him and
the BJP despite that legislators and corporators in Bandra had belonged to the Congress.

"There was never irregularity even of a single rupee when the BJP members headed the Improvement and Education committees," the Bandra (west) MLA said.
He said the change in reservation for the Hill Road plot, as alleged by Malik, was done during the previous government. "Neither I nor the BJP have anything to do with it," Shelar added.