BNMC municipal chief suspends 14 officers

Express news service Posted: Jan 04, 2008 at 0000 hrs
Mumbai, January 3 Fourteen Officers of the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) were suspended by the commissioner Shivmurti Naik for not demolishing the irregular structures in the city.

Among the 14 suspend officials include SM Palaskar the development officer of BNMC, three surveyors J Bhagat, Ishwar Adep and Prakash Gharat.

The rest of the officers include the ground level officers who also did not demolish the illegal structures.

According to the Naik, he had asked the officers to demolish some 30-31 irregular structures after the respective courts gave way for demolishing these structures by lifting the stay orders.

But instead, the officers did a half-hearted job and demolished some 8 structures in the city.

The BNMC is known for irregular and illegal structures. The corporation undertakes such demolition drives but the response in such cases is half hearted from the side of the officials.

“The city was earlier known for irregular and illegal structures. But since last few years the demolition and control of such irregular and illegal structures was under control. I had asked these officials to demolish the structures some 3 months ago, but they did not obey the orders in spite of the fact that various courts had given the permissions to demolish these structures. So we had no other option, but to suspend them,” added Naik.

An enquiry would be instituted upon the officials that would decide the fate of these officials.

Meanwhile on Thursday the suspended officials staged a dharna before the corporation office on Thursday to oppose their suspension.