Kalyan: In a significant development, two employees of the Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Planning Department were arrested by the police after interrogation on Thursday night. The arrested individuals, Surveyor Balu Bahiram and Architect Rajesh Bagul, both from the Town Planning Department, have been at the center of controversy surrounding the municipality's planning procedures.
For the past 15 years, certain employees have reportedly been holding the same positions within the Town Planning Department, despite previous transfers ordered by the Commissioner. Upon the recent transfer of the Commissioner, these employees allegedly resumed their positions in the urban planning department with the assistance of the assistant director of urban planning in the general administration department. A concerned citizen has filed a complaint against one of the employees of the Urban Planning Department with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Tribes in New Delhi.
The arrests come in connection with a building plan submitted by Vinod Builders, owned by Dheeraj Patil, in Maharashtranagar, Dombivli West. The plan, submitted in July 2021 for a six-story building, included a fake census map from the Land Records Department. This map purported to show six gunthas of cattle land as part of private ownership. However, the actual site survey conducted by Surveyor Balu Bahiram and Draftsman Rajesh Bagul failed to detect this discrepancy. Despite the absence of a nine-meter access road as required, the proposal was forwarded to the town planner and subsequently approved by the Assistant Director.
Following the construction of the building, five additional illegal floors were constructed without municipality permission. Former corporator Ramesh Padmakar Mhatre and MLA Ganpat Gaikwad raised concerns about the illegal use of cattle land for construction. An investigation revealed that the map submitted by Vinod Builders was not authenticated by the Land Records Department. Subsequently, the construction permission was revoked, and a complaint was filed against the developer and architect for submitting bogus documents.
Illegal constructions in other areas, including Sudam Residency and Ramakant Arcade in Rahulnagar, are also under scrutiny. Illegal buildings belonging to individuals such as Sameer Bhagat, Chetan Mhatre, Prakash Gothe, and Shankar Thakur have been identified in Thakurwadi, further highlighting the broader issue of unauthorized construction in the region.
The arrests of Bahiram and Bagul signal a crackdown on corruption and irregularities within the municipal planning process, emphasizing the municipality's commitment to upholding transparency and legality in urban development initiatives.