While unconfirmed reports said on Sunday that at least 40 members of the tainted Adarsh Housing Society at Colaba have surrendered their flats, Jitendra Awhad, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator, said he has decided to give up his membership in the society.
“I have conveyed my decision to the society’s management committee. I don’t know if they have received it because I’m out of station,” Awhad told the Hindustan Times.
Three members of chief minister Ashok Chavan’s family, including the nominee of his mother-in-law, Bhagwati Manoharlal Sharma (she passed away early this year), have decided to surrender their flats after Chavan was accused of nepotism.
Chavan had confirmed on Friday that his kin, Seema Vinod Sharma and Jagdish Ambika Prasad Sharma, had got houses in the 31-storey sea-facing tower.
Former defence officers General NC Vij, General Deepak Kapoor and Admiral Madhvendra Singh have also told the society to accept their resignations.
The Hindustan Times called several other members of the society including ex-Shiv Sena Member of Parliament (MP) Suresh Prabhu, ex-NCP MP Shriniwas Patil and ex-Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar. They did not answer our calls.
Jairaj Phatak, former chief secretary, sent a text message in response to HT’s queries about whether his son, Kanishka, is planning to give up his membership in Adarsh society.
“My son will take his own decision. He has no plans just now,” Phatak’s text message said. Phatak was the municipal commissioner and a member of the civic high-rise committee when Adarsh was granted extra floor space index in 2007.
Congress leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, whose family has three flats in the tower, said he would quit only when charges against the society are proved. “Until then, my family will not move into the new flats. We will wait for the decision to come,” he said.
“My son will take his own decision. He has no plans just now,” Phatak’s text message said. Phatak was the municipal commissioner and a member of the civic high-rise committee when Adarsh was granted extra floor space index in 2007.
Congress leader Kanhaiyalal Gidwani, whose family has three flats in the tower, said he would quit only when charges against the society are proved. “Until then, my family will not move into the new flats. We will wait for the decision to come,” he said.
Gidwani, who is one of the chief promoters of the society, said committee has not received any letter from members willing to quit.
“We have been reading about it in newspapers. The committee will decided when it gets these letters,” he said, adding that the matter was not discussed at the society’s annual general meeting on Sunday.
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