Oppositionn fires new salvo at Pune's mayor

Updated on: 28 April,2010 09:32 AM IST |
Vivek Sabnis |

Says Rajpal has not turned Mayor's bungalow into guesthouse as promised

Says Rajpal has not turned Mayor's bungalow into guesthouse as promised

Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal is courting controversy these days. Recently, an inquiry was initiated against him in a corruption case, and now, he is in trouble again over his bungalow. MiD DAY had first reported that the Mayor's bungalow was lying vacant, after which Rajpal had said the bungalow would be turned into a guesthouse.

The opposition has been screaming hoarse that the bungalow should be put to use. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) city vice-president Sandeep Khardekar has taken up the issue. MNS is also planning to start a 'Mayor hatao agitation.'

"The Mayor's bungalow is at a prime location but there is no use of the bungalow," said Khardekar. "We have asked PMC commissioner Mahesh Zagade to convert it into a guesthouse like Circuit House in Cantonment, but he has not committed anything."

Museum option
Khardekar said the bungalow could also be converted into a museum. "The PMC has already spent Rs 2 crore on the construction of the bungalow and is still spending money on four security guards and three servants," he added.

Kishor Shinde, corporator from MNS, is up in arms against Rajpal for spending Rs 15 lakh on Baisakhi celebrations. "He has violated many rules like selling the tickets without the permission of the Charity Commissioner, the organisation that organised Baisakhi is not registered and when tickets are charged then why get the money from PMC?" he said.