Irregularities in allotment of an incomplete market complex of the Bramapur Municipal Corporation (BMC) have put the civic body in a tight spot.
The complex is on the city’s posh locality, Ramalingam Tank Road, near Hanuman temple. The construction work of the upper floors though was started ten years back it is yet to be completed. Before the construction work is fully completed, the BMC was accused of resorting to under-hand deals and favoritism in allotting rooms to some vested groups.
Former BMC Mayor and BJP Corporator Shiva Shankar Das and Congress Corporator Dandapani Nayak in BMC’s general body meeting held on Tuesday alleged that though no proposal for allotment of rooms in the market complex has ever come to the meeting for discussion, but the BMC authorities are contemplating to allot the rooms to some people on fraudulent means. Both the Corporators submitted a written complaint to the BMC Commissioner for investigation into the matter.
It may be recalled here that in 2006 the then Municipal Council had initiated the construction work of eight shopping rooms on the market complex of the BMC and accordingly, the Council reportedly had taken advance from the eligible beneficiaries identified for the purpose.
Three months after the next Council was formed in September 2008, the Council got the status of Corporation. Reportedly for some reasons, Shiva Shankar Das who was then the first BMC Mayor ordered to stop the construction work of commercial shop rooms of the upper floors and demolish the rooms if already constructed for some technical and security reasons. The registered beneficiaries then protested the decision of the former Mayor and went to the court seeking relief.
Though late, the court gave the verdict in favor of the beneficiaries by directing the BMC to allot rooms to those beneficiaries from whom the BMC has already taken advance. As per the decision of the court, the BMC has reportedly taken action for allotment which was reflected in the resolution No. 35 of the general body meeting held on April 29 and the same was placed again in agenda for the subsequent council meeting held on June 2 for rectification/ confirmation. When the matter of confirmation came for discussion, Congress Corporator of Ward-13 Dandapani Nayak raised an objection on the ground that rectification or confirmation of the above resolution which ought to have been placed in the agenda for the meeting held on April 29 cannot be discussed in this meeting to which Shiva Shankar Das supported and the matter since then has become controversial.
Accordingly, both Das and Congress Corporator Nayak have registered their strong protest in the last GB meeting of the BMC held here on Tuesday and requested the BMC Commissioner to cancel the relevant resolution adopted earlier. The situation took a new turn when on Wednesday, some of the beneficiaries met the BMC authorities and demanded for handover of the incomplete shopping rooms to them forthwith as they have already sustained loss. Former BMC Mayor Das, however, said to the media that the rooms constructed in the upper floor are in danger as a high tension electric line has passed over it. The BMC authorities, on the other hand, claimed that everything has been done in conformity with the rules and without any deviation. Now the beneficiaries are becoming the victims of blame game. However, there is a strong public perception that all allotments should be cancelled and widely notified afresh only after the entire construction work is completed.