Firebrand Shiv Sena corporator Dashrath Patil is known for his high-powered rhetoric in the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC). He demonstrated his skills during a civic body meeting two months ago held to discuss the dereservation of four plots in the city. Arguing against the move, Patil attributed ``motives'' to the proposal and drew members' attention to the need to keep ``public interest'' in mind. The proposal was passed, but that is another story.

The same Patil is now advocating the allotment of a plot of land reserved for a garden to an institution established by Babanao Gholap. Gholap's B G Shiksan Sanstha had received the 4,000 sq m plot at Vihitgaon on a five-year lease from the corporation. Some local residents led by a Congress corporator submitted a memorandum to the minister registering their Opposition.

Here, Patil did an about-turn. He justified the allocation of the plot to the institution, saying Gholap's change of focus from politics to education was ``awelcome sign'' and naturally, attributed ``motives'' to those opposing the move. Gholap's critics, he added for good measure, had launched a smear campaign against him, in view of the forthcoming Assembly polls.

Double Take II

IT'S not just the politicians turning what may seem like a strongly-held view on its head; it's also government officials.

The space where Gholap intends to run a school, was encroached upon by an Anti-Encroachment department official!

An engineer in the department, N S Bodke, who built a house on the land and settled in, his stunt overlooked by the NMC for years even as it went on a demolition spree last year.

Bodke has now vacated the structure on the open space and had bought himself a new house. The NMC is now walling up the space.