Mumbai: Proposal to waive Taj Mahal Palace's charges still awaits nod

Barricades around the Taj hotel. File Pic

The BMC's proposal of waiving off Rs 10 crore of the Taj Mahal Palace is still awaiting the nod of the standing committee. Opposition parties have strongly objected to the ‘stand' of the ruling Shiv Sena for the proposal, but the chairman of the committee hasn't yet taken it up for discussion.

The proposal of waiving off the charges of the hotel for occupying adjacent footpaths and public parking space for the past 12 years, was tabled in the standing committee meeting on December 9. Though the opposition parties raised objections, the chairman of the committee and Sena corporator Yashwant Jadhav did not take the proposal up for discussion in the past two meetings. As per the BMC Act 1888, rule 69 C, the Standing Committee shall dispose of the proposals within 30 days from the receipt, failing which it will be considered approved.

‘What about vendors?'
Ravi Raja, Leader of the Opposition told mid-day, "The BMC should make a long-term agreement with the hotel for using the footpaths and roads. The corporation doesn't want to waive off charges for vendors, shopkeepers." Rakhi Jadhav, group leader of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) said, "If they are using public property then the BMC should levy charges four times more than the applicable charges."

What hotel must pay
The BMC has charged the hotel as per the old parking policy. The hotel has to pay R1,33,05,600 for occupying roads from June 2009 to January 2020 and R8,85,63,222 for closing the footpaths for the public. As per the BMC, the 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.