Nashik Diary

The state government, which had earlier failed to even acknowledge Dharmadhikari8217;s letter on the issue over the last six months, suddenly woke up to his appeal to local people and directed the Nashik Municipal Corporation NMC to initiate proceedings for dereserving a plot for creation of the memorial.

Ironically, the NMC has set about deserving a plot meant for a children8217;s park. Kusumraj had special concern for children and had initiated setting up of a chain of children8217;s libraries to inculcate the habit of reading among them. He would have happier if the government had spent the Rs 5 crore earmarked fund on someconstructive work.

Mayor8217;s eyes wide shut

THE Mayor of Nashik, Dr Shobha Bachhav, has found herself at the centre of a controversy over the NMC8217;s move to convert agricultural land owned by her into a residential one. The general body of the civic body has already passed a resolution, seeking to convert the 7.63 hectares into residential one in April this year. The Mayor tried to wriggle out claiming that she might have inadvertently8217; signed the resolution moved by a BJP corporator Valjibhai Patel. She has pointed out that she was one of the dozen odd joint owners of the land and had no knowledge which one of them had initiated the conversion of the land8217;s status. It is difficult to buy the mayor8217;s argument. Even if one chooses to believe her, the argument that she might have signed the resolution without reading it shows how callous a public figure could be. If she is to be believed, she had no right to continue as the mayor or even as a corporator.

On the other hand, the corporators who havelaunched a signature campaign against her, have been accused of raking up the issue only because the Mayor had refused to extend the services of some engineers employed temporarily. The silence of the corporators since April speaks volumes of political arm-twisting.

Case of official land sharks

THREE government officials managed to obtain anticipatory bail recently after being named in a criminal case filed against them. Following raids, the Anti-Corruption Bureau ACB had found the unholy nexus between the officials from irrigation, revenue and municipal departments, land owners, an architect and a builder.

The group was accused of misusing government land for constructing bungalows. The builder Mahadev Pandu Bonde had built 182 bungalows, 34 of them on irrigation department land by covering the conduit of the Gangapur dam left bank canal.

The officials named in the FIR have now started making a beeline to the courts to obtain anticipatory bails. Those who got a reprieve: the then deputyengineer of irrigation Mohan Shelar, deputy engineer of town planning Mallayya Rudrayya Matpati and executive engineer of irrigation Ashok Barhate.

Back to square one

LAST year a BJP corporator Dr Aruna More had spearheaded a campaign against the Shivam Liquor Bar in the CIDCO area. After several rounds of agitation, a signature campaign and an incident of violence, during which some residents attempted to set fire to the bar, the district collector ordered the bar to be closed down. The agitators were furious that the bar was proving to be a source of nuisance to local residents, especially ladies after dusk.

The joint, however, created a rift between the local leaders of the BJP and the Shiv Sena since the bar is owned by a Sena corporator, Mama Thakre. The district chief of the Shiv Sena had then demanded that if Shivam were to close down, six other bars in the area should also down their shutters. The bar has reopened last week inviting the wrath of the agitators, who have threatened torevive their stir.

8211;Rakshit Sonawane