NSCI entry for BMC babus raises a stink

MUMBAI: Corporators slammed senior municipal officials in the general body meeting on Thursday for having accepted membership of the National Sports Club of India (NSCI), the elite Worli establishment that has faced BMC action in the past for various violations.

Naming assistant municipal commissioner D K Jain of G South, the local ward officer, and chief fire officer P S Rahangdale, the corporators said the officers' membership put them in a position of obligation to the club and raised the suspicion that they would not act against the violations there.

The two officials denied the allegation, saying they were given membership four years ago and they had recently acted against the NSCI for various violations. They said that they rarely visited the NSCI in their personal capacity.

Last June, the BMC demolished a 400 ft by 25 ft unauthorised construction inside the club. The municipal corporation took action for violations and breach of lease conditions. Municipal officials and the fire brigade had taken other action as well on the premises for various violations.

The issue came up during a demand by corporators to review the proposal for a gymkhana exclusively for municipal officials on a plot in Mahalaxmi. The plot is earmarked for a playground in the Development Plan 2014-2034.

Corporators said that if a gymkhana was to be constructed at all, then its membership should be open to all, including the common man and corporators. The discussion then took a new turn and corporators started criticising municipal officials for accepting membership of expensive clubs free of cost.

"These officials are members at the NSCI, which is violating several rules," BJP group leader Manoj Kotak said after the meeting. "These officials manage to get membership of prestigious clubs-gymkhanas ignoring irregularities in such establishments. Then why do they need a separate gymkhana for themselves?"

Rais Shaikh of the Samajwadi Party said the NSCI was BMC-leased property and there were many violations.

"These officials are supposed to act against those violations; how can they become members of such gymkhana-clubs?" Shaikh said. "We demanded that names of all such officials are disclosed who have taken membership of posh gymkhana-clubs."

Opposition leader and Congress corporator Ravi Raja said it was an issue concerning conflict of interest.

"They are supposed to act against irregularities at NSCI, but they are taking its membership," he said about the officials. "There should be bar on such practices. If senior officials will not have any interest in such establishments, their staff will act against the violations on such premises without fear."