The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) will soon issue a tender to demolish the 40-year-old Yashwant Mandai building in Ravivar Karanja, which is deemed structurally dangerous. The construction department plans to replace the dilapidated structure with either a multi-storey parking facility or a commercial complex.
“The file of Yashwant Mandai has been sent to the construction department, and the tender process for demolition will soon be implemented,” said Shrikant Pawar, Deputy Commissioner, Taxes and Licensing Departments.
Following a court ruling in favor of the municipality based on a structural audit, the tax collection department sent a file to Nashik West Division to proceed with demolition. Given the central location of Ravivar Karanja, NMC officials are emphasizing the need for expert demolition to prevent potential harm to nearby shops, roads, and other properties.
In addition to demolition plans, the NMC is addressing rental arrears, totaling ₹5-6 crore, owed by fifteen vendors in Yashwant Mandai. If payments are not made, the municipality has stated it will take action to encumber and confiscate the properties in question.
NMC faces financial loss
The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) faces a major shortfall in market fee collection, leading to financial losses, as it currently collects only ₹80 lakhs annually against a potential revenue of ₹13 crores. Despite issuing tenders three times to privatise this collection due to manpower shortages, no bids were received.
The decision to privatise market fee collection was approved by the General Assembly to address the lack of staff available for collecting fees from Nashik's 9,000 street vendors. Under current capacity, municipal tax collection departments can only manage a fraction of the potential revenue, leading to an annual loss of approximately ₹12 crores. The initial plan estimated ₹85 crores in market fee collection over five years.
Following the expiry of the assembly poll model code of conduct, NMC plans to reissue a tender with hopes of attracting contractors to increase fee collection. Deputy Commissioner Mayur Patil indicated that the municipality will attempt to enhance recovery by increasing its current manpower if privatization efforts remain unsuccessful.
Mayur Patil, Deputy Commissioner, Encroachment Department NMC, said, "Tenders were invited for collection of market charges. But it got no response. Efforts are going to be made for more recovery by increasing the manpower in the present situation."
Businessman defrauded by scammers
A businessman in Nashik was defrauded of ₹3,09,132 under the guise of credit card verification. A case has been registered at Panchvati Police Station.
The victim, Dhananjay Hemant Amritkar, who owns Balaji Enterprises on Dindori Road near Panchvati Police Station, reported that the incident occurred on Friday morning (4th) while he was at his shop. Amritkar was contacted by individuals posing as representatives of American Express Credit Card Company, who gained his trust and obtained his confidential details by claiming to conduct a verification process for his card.
Using the obtained information, the fraudsters misused Amritkar’s RBL and Bank of Baroda credit cards to embezzle ₹3,09,132. Inspector Jyoti Amane is conducting further investigation into the case.