Mumbai civic body panel stays fire service fee on builders, societies

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee on Wednesday put on hold the implementation of levying fire service fees and annual fees on builders and housing societies

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) standing committee on Wednesday put on hold the implementation of levying fire service fees and annual fees on builders and housing societies. Committee chairman Yashwant Jadhav said that considering the Covid-19 pandemic, no fee or tax that imposes an additional burden on Mumbaiites should be implemented at present. While corporators across party lines opposed the administration’s proposal, Leader of the House, Vishakha Raut moved an adjournment motion opposing the circular issued by Mumbai Fire Brigade under which they have planned to recover fire service fee and annual fee from March 2014 in a retrospective manner.

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The BMC general body in 2014 passed the proposal to charge a fire service fee. Recently, the fire brigade issued a circular to implement levying of the fee retrospectively. Leader of the Opposition, Ravi Raja questioned, “Why did the fire brigade fail to implement levying the fee since 2014? Why has the proposal been brought now?”

Among other proposals tabled before the standing committee on Wednesday, the administration also proposed to deduct 10% from the pension of a retired officer for a period of five years. The officer was found guilty in an internal enquiry regarding the Jogeshwari plot scam in 2018. Since the committee meeting was adjourned, no decision was taken in this regard, leader of the opposition Ravi Raja said. At the time of the internal enquiry, the officer was deputy chief engineer of the development plan (DP) department.

“With allegations made against Bhaskar Choudhary, deputy chief engineer, DP during a departmental inquiry having proved to be true the standing committee’s permission has been sought for deducting 10% from his pension for five years,” the proposal said.

The Jogeshwari plot, reserved for recreation space and hospital, was pegged at a market value of ₹500 crore. On the file regarding the acquisition of the plot, the then municipal commissioner Ajoy’s Mehta’s remarks were tampered with, leading the BMC to not challenge the acquisition of the plot in the Supreme Court.