RTI activist files plea against former Thane civic commissioner

A Right To Information (RTI) activist and lawyer Pravin Wategaonkar, has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court (HC) early this week, against former Thane civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal

Thane A Right To Information (RTI) activist and lawyer Pravin Wategaonkar, has filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay high court (HC) early this week, against former Thane civic commissioner Sanjeev Jaiswal.

As per the PIL, 50 plots were allotted for TMC’s Rent A Cycle initiative, a Public Bicycle Sharing System (PBSS) under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model wherein the agency also was given exclusive advertising rights on bicycle docking stations for 15 years (HT Photo)

The PIL alleges that Jaiswal allotted 50 prime plots in the city, owned by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC), to a private agency for cycle docking station without inviting tenders. He demanded an Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Anti Corruption Bureau inquiry against Jaiswal. However, Jaiswal claimed that there were no irregularities in the project.

As per the PIL, 50 plots were allotted for TMC’s Rent A Cycle initiative, a Public Bicycle Sharing System (PBSS) under Public Private Partnership (PPP) model wherein the agency also was given exclusive advertising rights on bicycle docking stations for 15 years.

The PIL states, “Further, without obtaining approval from the general body the rights were transferred to another agency along with a waiver for payment of advertisement fees, taxes and ground rent, leading to loss of revenue to the civic body. Moreover, the general body of TMC had rejected the proposal in respect of leasing out the two floors of TMCs market building to the agency to set up a service centre and control room. Even after rejection on behalf of administration the agreement was signed, while the place was given free of cost.”

Wategaonkar claimed that a floor in the same building was given to the government’s Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) on rent of Rs8.82 lakh.

TMC initiated the Rent a Cycle project in 2017, in which the corporation provided 50 cycle stands across the city, each stand with 20 cycles. The residents could pick a cycle from their nearest stand and drop it at a stand near to their destination. The initiative had around 1500 people who had registered for it till January 2019. However, these cycles were not of good quality according to cyclists and all the cycles were of the same size making it difficult for everyone to use it. At present most of the cycles are gathering dust at the stands.

Wategaonkar said, “A complaint was filed with the Anti Corruption Bureau in February 2020 for these irregularities. The ACB has inferred that prima facie the complaint discloses offence and sought approval of the state government to undertake inquiry, the state is yet to grant approval and thus I have filed this PIL”

Jaiswal, however, claimed the allegations to be baseless. He told Hindustan Times, “I am not aware of any such PIL, however there were no irregularities in the project. The Rent a Cycle project had approval of the general body and the further decisions were taken accordingly.”