Hand over possession of park or will cease to pay electricity bills, says Mumbai civic body

BMC has said it will no longer pay the electricity charges of Girgaum Chowpaty’s popular Nana Nani park until it gets possession of the garden land.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in a recent letter to the collectorate, has said it will no longer pay the electricity charges of Girgaum Chowpaty’s popular Nana Nani park until it gets possession of the garden land.

The park is owned by the state government and maintained by the Mumbai collector (city). (HT photo)

The park is presently owned by the state government, and is maintained by the Mumbai collector (city). The caretaking of the park has been handed over to a contractor, who is in charge of cleanliness and security.

However, the electricity meter of the park has been registered in the civic body’s name since 1999. From 1999 to June 2017, the civic body has paid a whopping Rs35 lakh towards the park’s electricity charges. These charges have not been shared by the collectorate.

In a letter to the collector, the civic body has said that it will pay the electricity bill of the park only once the garden is transferred to BMC. It has asked the collector to hand over possession of the land. The letter also enclosed a no-objection certificate (NOC) for the civic body to get the electricity meter transferred in the collectorate’s name.

“The issue is not the payment of the bills. It is an open space that BMC will be happy to maintain. The collector should do one of two things, either hand over the land or pay the charges,” said Mote.

BMC does not know how the meter came to be registered in its name.