Civic body yet to recover Rs 6 lakh from disqualified corporators

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is set to spend Rs 35 crore for the upcoming civic polls, has failed to recover Rs 6.16 lakh from corporators disqualified over the last decade.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is set to spend Rs 35 crore for the upcoming civic polls, has failed to recover Rs 6.16 lakh from corporators disqualified over the last decade.

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This was revealed by a Right to Information (RTI) claim filed by activist Anil Galgali.

Once disqualified, a corporator needs to return the salaries and allowances received in his tenure.

In all, 11 corporators who were disqualified between 2002 and 2011 for submitting false caste certificates during the civic polls have not yet repaid their dues.

The BMC is also yet to recover 18 corporation emblem blocks — used for attesting official documents and other official purposes — from the disqualified corporators.

The corporators who owe money to the BMC are Janardan Yadav, Mohammad Yusuf Shaikh, Pravin Devahare, Gita Gore, RR Singh, Baig Sahin, Lalaji Yadav, Shirish Chaugule, Simintini Narkar, Anjuman Fatima and Sunil Chavan.

“This is public money and if the disqualified corporators received it through wrong means, they should refund it. The emblem also has its own value and should not be used by a barred members,” said Galgali.

Of the 11, Sahin and Shaikh owe the most to the civic body- Rs 1.79 lakh and Rs 1.72 lakh respectively. Shiv Sena corporator Sunil Chavan, disqualified last year, owes Rs93,300 and two emblem blocks.

“I haven’t received any letter from the corporation asking to refund salary or return emblems. If I receive any such intimation, I will obey it,” said Chavan.

Mrudula Kulkarni, municipal secretary in-charge said: “In case of submission of fake caste certificates, the corporators are disqualified under the reservation act.”