Mumbai: 'BMC works only for the rich', says opposition leader

The hotel had increased security around it after the 26/11 terror attacks. File pics/Suresh Karkera

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) administration proposes to waive off charges of around Rs 10 crore of the Taj Mahal Palace in south Mumbai, for occupying adjacent footpaths and public parking space for the past 12 years, due to security threats. The administration also proposes to waive off charges in the future and the standing committee will discuss this on Wednesday.

Roads, footpaths barricaded

After the terrorist attack on 26/11 on the hotel near the Gateway of India, the police informed it to gear up its security. To reduce the impact in case of a hit by an explosive-laden vehicle, the hotel put up barricades on the footpath as per instructions from the police. Thus footpaths and parts of P J Ramchandani Road, BEST road, B K Boman Road, Mahakavi Bhushan Road have been barricaded by the hotel since then. Around 869 square metres of footpath and 1,136 sq metres of roads are closed for the public.

As there wasn't any specific policy, the BMC has charged the hotel for using these public places. As per the old parking policy, the hotel has to pay Rs 1,33,05,600 for occupying roads from June 2009 to January 2020 and Rs 8,85,63,222 for closing the footpaths for the public. The issue was highlighted by Lalit Jain, an activist from Colaba, through a Right To Information query.

A BMC officer said, "The Taj hotel paid R66,52,800, which is 50 per cent of charges for occupying the roads and urged the BMC to waive off the remaining 50 per cent and 100 per cent charges for occupying the footpaths since they acted as per police instructions. We have proposed to waive off present and future charges in the standing committee."

The proposal of waiving off 50 per cent of road charges, and charging road occupancy of R51,975 per month from April 2017 (when the new parking policy came up but the charges are as per the old policy, as requested by the hotel) to January 2020 will be tabled in the standing committee meeting on Wednesday. The proposal seeks the waiving off of 100 per cent footpath occupancy charges (both amounts as per the old and new policies). In all the proposal seeks the waiving off of around Rs 10 crore.

'Not for the poor'

"The BMC is working for only the rich and not for the middle class or poor people. Would it waive off such heavy charges from ordinary people? Last year, the BMC spent money to concretise the road in front of the hotel which is going to be used only by the hotel. On the other hand, it is not ready to waive off licensee charges of small hawkers and vendors who suffered due to the lockdown," said Ravi Raja, leader of opposition.

mid-day contacted the Taj Mahal hotel but there was no response.

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