Bhayandar : Alarmed by their brazen defiance, municipal commissioner Achyut Hange seems to have finally cracked the whip against errant officials. In what is seen as his first stringent action to put an end to the menace of illegal construction plaguing the Mira Bhayandar region, the civic chief on Wednesday passed the suspension orders of ward officer Baburao Wagh for his alleged failure in taking action against encroachments that had cropped up on a recreation ground (in pic) in the Shanti Nagar area of Mira Road.
It should be noted that under the pretext of cricket coaching, the plot was being illegally exploited for commercial gains by a politically-backed private sports club.
After noticing the anomalies, the civic chief asked the ward officer to clear the encroachments. However, unnerved by the directions, Wagh continued to turn a blind eye towards the illegal activities, prompting the civic chief to take the step of suspending him.
However, it has been alleged that the officers are nothing but sacrificial goats who were caught in a political crossfire between the ruling and opposition parties.
“Commercial activities on amenity space will not be tolerated. In fact, we intend to maintain and develop the plot into a proper recreation space, including a free cricket coaching camp, with the help of the MBMC,” said local corporator Prashant Dalvi.
Suresh Golani
