Trouble brewing for Narayan Rane?

Mumbai: Is trouble brewing for former chief minister Narayan Rane? This can be said so as the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) has asked the city civic body and also the district collector to verify if his lavish bungalow at Juhu is legal.

This comes after a Pune-based activist – Pradeep Bhalekar -- wrote to the MCZMA in October this year, seeking action against Rane’s bungalow, which he claims is illegal.

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The activist has accused the politician of illegally constructing his bungalow, which is within the 50 metres radius of Juhu beach and thus violates the Coastal Regulation Zone rules.

The MCZMA, through Under Secretary Sanjay Sandhashiv, has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to cross check Bhalekar’s contentions.

“It is alleged that an unauthorised construction of a seven-storey bungalow named Adhish has been constructed within 50 metres of the sea at Juhu, Mumbai,” the letter forwarded by MCZMA to BMC, reads.

“Accordingly, you are requested to verify and take necessary action, if any violation of CRZ rules is observed. You must take appropriate action after verification and send a factual and detailed action taken report to the authority at the earliest,” the authority’s letter further states.

Earlier, Bhalekar had petitioned the Bombay High Court seeking action against Rane, his wife Nilam and sons Nitesh and Nilesh, under the provisions of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). According to Bhalekar, the politician and his family members have unaccounted and undisclosed properties.

In his petition, which was dismissed by Chief Justice Pradeep Nandrajog, Bhalekar, by highlighting the history of Rane family (before and after entering mainstream politics), has claimed that the family has illegally usurped a few government lands in Mumbai and Malwan and have thus committed corruption. While dismissing the plea, CJ Nandrajog had ordered the authorities to consider his petition as a representation and take action as per the law.