BEST buses for Uddhav8217;s trust

When queried about the sale, Mayor Nandu Satam and BEST chairman Arvind Nerkar looked at each other and almost together expressed ignorance. 8220;We are not aware who runs the trust,8221; said Satam. Nerkar uttered similar words. The Mayor promised to look into the matter and added that since a charitable organisation had approached the BEST nothing was wrong in giving the buses to them.

The sale of BEST buses violates the rules on disposal of government properties which requires calling for a tender or holdingof an auction sale. However, Nerkar claimed there was no need for an auction. 8220;The buses are over 15 years old, a life-span after which they are to be scrapped. Yet we are giving it as the trust wants to use it for transporting grains and food supplies which they sell at a lower rates in poor localities,8221; he explained.

During the MiC meeting, the members were informed of the sale of 2,000 sq ft of land to Avani Trust for running zunka bhakar centres below the Western Railway bridge at Dadar for a monthly rent of Rs one. The centre is being run by businessman Madhav Kokane. A former business partner of Chief Minister Manohar Joshi he has since moved closer to Uddhav Thackeray.

The centres standing cheek-by-jowl are run as a single unit and share a common roof violating the rule on the minimum distance of 500 meters between two centres. When questioned about the violations, Satam brushed them aside, stating that the centres were alloted much before MiC was formed.

When asked about the use ofout-of-service buses thereby flouting pollution control regulations and the Delhi High Court8217;s order banning use of old vehicles, Satam said that the quantum of work undertaken by an average BEST bus is relatively much larger compared to the workload requirement of the private trust. 8220;They work in a different environment and context,8221; he added.