मुंबई में रिक्शा-टैक्सी चालकों की ठगी - टर्मिनल टू में प्रवेश के लिए अवैध एंट्री फीस!

मुंबई के नवनिर्मित इंटरनैशनल टर्मिनल से कार्य संचालन को लगभग 4 महीने पूरे हो चुके हैं। इसके बावजूद भी हवाई यात्रियों में टर्मिनल पर पहुंचने को लेकर कई संशय बरकरार हैं। इसका सीधा फायदा इस मार्ग पर ऑटो-टैक्सी चलाने वालों को मिल रहा है। अधिक पैसा बनाने के चक्कर में इन्होंने टर्मिनल एंट्री फीस का एक नया शिगूफा छोड़ा है। मीटर से भाड़ा वसूल करने का आश्वासन देने के बाद ऑटो चालक यात्रियों को टर्मिनल पर लाते हैं और डिपार्चर लेवल पर जाने के लिए अलग से पैसों की मांग करते हैं। बीते 3 महीनों से कई हवाई यात्री इस बाबत एनबीटी को अवगत करवा चुके हैं।

गौरतलब है कि यह टर्मिनल 4 लेवल में बंटा हुआ हैं, यात्रियों को डिपार्चर के लिए सीधे लेवल 4 पर आना होता है, जिस पर आप सहार एलिवेटेड रोड से होकर आ सकते हैं, लेकिन यदि आप ऑटो रिक्शा से सफर कर रहे हैं, तो आपको सहार रोड से आना होगा।

यहां आने के बाद ऑटो चालक यात्रियों से 50 से 100 रुपये तक अतिरिक्त मांगते हैं, और टर्मिनल की एंट्री फीस का हवाला देते हैं। उनका कहना है कि उनसे यह चार्ज एयरपोर्ट अथॉरिटी ले रही है, इसके पीछे एयरपोर्ट अथॉरिटी का उद्देश्य अवांछित तत्वों के प्रवेश को रोकना हैं। जबकि वास्तविकता यह है कि एयरपोर्ट अथॉरिटी एंट्री फीस के नाम पर कुछ भी चार्ज नहीं करती।

सूत्रों के मुताबिक यात्रियों से यह चार्ज उन्हें अराइवल या डिपार्चर लेवल पर ले जाने के लिए ही लिया जाता है। टर्मिनल से कुछ दूर बने पार्किंग पर रुकने की स्थिति में ऑटो चालक चार्ज नहीं करते। यात्रियों के मुताबिक भारी बैगेज होने के कारण वे झंझट से बचने के लिए 'कुछ' पैसा दे देना ही बेहतर समझते हैं।

बीती एक तारीख को मुझे रात नौ के आस पास अपनी मां को लेने एयरपोर्ट जाना था। अंधेरी से तो ऑटो वाला मीटर से चलने को तैयार था पर आधे रास्ते में उसने मुझसे 120 रुपये की मांग की। वजह पूछने पर उसने एयरपोर्ट एंट्री फीस का हवाला दिया, जब मैंने विरोध किया तो उसने मुझे वही उतारने की धमकी दी।
- निशा सराफ, स्टूडेंट

जून के थर्ड वीक में मैंने अंधेरी से ऑटो लिया, चालक में मुझसे उतरते वक़्त 50 रुपये एक्स्ट्रा मांगे, लेकिन क्योंकि मैं हर दूसरे सप्ताह विदेश जाता रहता हूं, मुझे उसकी चालाकी समझ आ गई और मैंने उसे पुलिस की धमकी दे कर अपना पीछा छुड़ाया।
- अमित झवेरी, व्यवसायी

हमारी तरफ से ऐसा कोई चार्ज नहीं लिया जाता हैं। यदि ऐसा हो रहा है तो बहुत दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हैं। यात्रियों को आरटीओ और ट्रैफिक पुलिस को इसकी शिकायत करनी चाहिए। ऑटो चालक यात्रियों को बेवजह ठग रहे हैं।
- प्रवक्ता, मुंबई एयरपोर्ट अथॉरिटी

इस तरह का कोई भी चार्ज नहीं है। यदि कोई ऑटो चालक ऐसा कर रहा है, तो बिलकुल गलत है। यात्रियों को इसकी शिकायत करनी चाहिए। उस ऑटो चालक का बैच नंबर और वाहन का नंबर नोट करके शिकायत दर्ज करवानी चाहिए। एनबीटी ने हमें इस बाबत जानकारी दी है और हम अपने स्तर पर भी दोषियों की तलाश करेंगे।
- शशांक राव, उपाध्यक्ष ( मुंबई ऑटोरिक्शा मेंस यूनियन )
साभार
नवभारत टाइम्स | Jul 7, 2014, 03.42AM IST, आशिता दाधीच, मुंबई
http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/metro/mumbai/other-news/The-entry-fee-to-enter-the-terminal/articleshow/37918213.cms

Red alert! Redevelopment Greed is making societies neglect maintenance & repair

2 July 2014, Mumbai: The return of monsoons is good news to everybody, but as always, there will be severe casualties in aging and ill-maintained buildings in every metro, including Mumbai. One may safely predict that at least five buildings will collapse in Mumbai alone, especially on the days with the heaviest rains, simply because of the additional weight of several thousand kilograms of absorbed rainwater that the dilapidated structures will have to bear. This weight is unevenly distributed on a weakened RCC structure, causing structural collapse.

The following problems are perennial and systemic:
1)      The buildings of Mumbai and every other metro are aging. Every passing seasonal cycle of summer, monsoon and winter are causing further deterioration in the cement and steel of RCC structures by rusting and cracking. Therefore, every passing year, the load-bearing capacity of the RCC of every building deteriorates by small percentage like 0.2 to 1%.

2)      Older buildings deteriorate at a faster rate e.g. 1% per year. If they are well-maintained, this rate of deterioration may be reduced to 0.5%, effectively increasing its life span by many years.

3)      Unfortunately, many buildings have been made into “sick” buildings over the past decade by short-sighted cooperative societies neglecting them, in the lust for getting them declared as “dilapidated”, so that they go into commercial redevelopment. The load bearing capacity of the RCC of such buildings deteriorates by 5-10%. These buildings are like ticking time-bombs, waiting to collapse.

4)      In the monsoon, the rain-water seeps into the walls and ceilings of such neglected structures, increasing their weight by several thousand kilograms. This additional weight is distributed unevenly on the RCC frame, making it extremely vulnerable to sudden structural failure. These buildings cannot continue to be occupied. Ignoring them is a criminal negligence on the part of the government and municipal corporations.

5)      There is no civic body which has the necessary mandate for vacating and demolishing demolish hundreds or thousands of such critical buildings before they collapse due to “natural causes” in the coming monsoons. If such a body is not created, there is simply no alternative to redevelopment – whether voluntary or foced. These must be demolished and rebuilt under supervision of an empowered government body. Unfortunately, such an empowered body does not exist!

6)      A timetable for performing emergency repairs on thousands of other buildings is a must. These are not yet critical, they will inevitably become critical and dangerous if neglected for another 3-4 years. This must also be done under supervision of an empowered government body.

7)      Unfortunately, it is financially unviable for all the thousands of buildings of Mumbai to be redeveloped and rebuilt simultaneously. Therefore, a priority list will have to be made by the government agency after scrutiny.

8)      Many MLAs, MPs and corporators are builders, or have invested in building industry. These persons are aware of the deterioration, but they are using their knowledge for their own private benefit. The knowledge of these persons must be harnessed for public good. Unfortunately, such politicians are actively preventing any proactive planning from happening, for fear of harming their own interests!

9)      On a conservative estimate, more than 80,000 flats are lying vacant all over Mumbai. They belong to builders, estate agents and investors. Such flats should be requisitioned by the government and municipal corporations, and used for immediately resettling the people living in dangerous buildings.

10)   For all the above-mentioned work, which is urgent, new laws needs to be passed, and a new government agency is required to be constituted under the urban development ministry.

Problems Caused by Redevelopment Greed:
Since redevelopment started in 1991 about two decades ago, and builders could augment the FSI (Floor Space Index) of the land by purchasing TDR (Transfer of Development Rights), cooperative housing societies started neglecting their structures. Seduced by builders who promise larger houses and new buildings, building societies have been keen to steamroll opposition to their redevelopment proposals by individual members by deliberately allowing their building to deteriorate, so that structural auditors can declare them as “dilapidated”.

Earlier, it was a nightmare for a society to be told that its building was structurally unsound, and managing committee members and general body members alike were anxious to avoid it by regular re-plastering, painting and repairing. But in the last two decades, a report from structural engineers saying that the building is “dilapidated” or is in need of “major repairs” has been the dream-come-true of every managing committee, because it legitimizes their quest for redevelopment.

Redevelopment is a gravy-train by which everybody gets to make money, and especially civic authorities who give various building permissions, cooperative department officials, and the managing committees of societies. Many residential buildings aged around 30 and above would have been in a relatively better state, were it not for this lust for redevelopment. Despite a fair number of stalled redevelopment projects, and the opposition by cautious members in every society, the greed-is-good ethos of the majority of members in almost every society ensures that this gravy train is gaining momentum.

Brief overview of Mumbai’s redevelopment over the last two decades: http://tinyurl.com/History-Mumbai-Redevelopment

Over 10 percent of Mumbai’s 30,000-odd society buildings are currently suffering from varying degrees of redevelopment-driven neglect by their managing committees, which collect money for their Repair Fund and Sinking Fund every month, but never spend for repairs and maintenance, Hoping to reap windfall gains from redevelopment, the managing committees favour a dilapidated appearance, which sends a come-hither signal to builders.

Sadly, every such society will not enter into the process of redevelopment swiftly; the overwhelming majority of old buildings will have to wait for many years before their redevelopment happens. Hence, residents are condemned by their greedy and negligent managing committees to live for long in buildings with fast-deteriorating RCC columns, beams and slabs.

In every society, one or two people are fighting a losing battle against this commercially-driven madness. They are seeking better maintenance of their societies.  Most often, their voices are raised only at meetings, and this makes them pariahs. Far from recognizing that their words are in the common interest, a majority of their neighbours consider them mad, and shun them. Their managing committees are quick to paint them as anti-social villains opposed to the prosperity that will be brought about by redevelopment.

One such person is Rohit D’Souza (9819199863, rohitpdsouza@gmail.com), a young sportsman of Mulund. Due to the constant leakage and seepage from the rooftop tank, and the consequent rusting and deterioration of the building structure, Rohit and his neighbours fear for their lives, and have written many letters to their building secretary and to to MCGM’s Ward Officer for T-Ward.  But their letters may as well have been written by residents of thousands of other residents of Mumbai, who are in the same boat: http://tinyurl.com/Please-repair-tank

Numerous societies are in exactly the same boat. Improper structural maintenance by societies due to greed, cost cutting, ignorance, unavailability of skilled labourers, disputes between members etc. is endangering the lives of thousands of families living in Mumbai. The steel in the RCC columns, beams and slabs has rusted and become exposed in many buildings, and Rohit’s building is only a sample of what thousands of buildings are currently looking like. Like Rohit, lakhs of people in Mumbai region are saying, “We are not opposed to redevelopment per se, but we are definitely opposed to the deliberate neglect of our buildings, which is a growing threat to our lives.”

But are the government and municipal authorities listening? And more importantly, are the managing committee members listening?

Or will they, like the Municipal Corporations of Mumbai, Mumbra, Thane etc. wake up only after the building crashes down?
Courtesy:
Issued in Public Interest by
Krish
9821588114
Building.RTI.Union@gmail.com

PS: After reading this, if residents of societies wish to gently start reminding their societies to maintain the building, they may use this word file as a format: http://tinyurl.com/sample-letter-to-society

Mumbai: Aarey road 'repaired' for 3rd time in 2 years

Work underway by PWD to fix the rugged road, which is usually repaired only in bits and pieces, and so falls apart in a month or so.

Hoping to gain some brownie points before the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, the public works department (PWD), headed by the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), has once again started repairing the arterial Aarey Milk Colony Road. The work is expected to be complete before the polling day.

In the last one year the road, which connects Goregaon on the Western Express Highway (WEH) with Powai and Marol, has been patched up twice — before and after the monsoon. But it didn’t take more than a month for it lose shape, because the 8 km stretch is only patched up in spots to begin with, and the shoddy work ensures a bumpy ride for motorists.

When mid-day visited the road on Friday, we saw that the same stretch was being repaired by the PWD. Executive engineer Milan Kamble said, “We started repair work on the road over a week back, and it will be completed in less than one month. We usually do the repairs at the night to avoid interrupting traffic movement.”

Asked why the road needed fixing a third time in one year, he refused to comment. But a senior PWD official, requesting anonymity, said, “The Aarey Milk Colony Road is owned by Aarey Dairy, which, being a government body, gives us the money for repairs.

It requires overhaul time and again because it passes through a small patch of forest that receives heavy rainfall. Every time they give us a limited amount of money, and we can only repair the patches that are in bad shape. The solution to potholes is constructing a cement-concrete (CC) road.”

But the PWD proposal to build the main road of CC was turned down by a cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure in February, as some of the ministers thought it fell under the BMC’s jurisdiction, and the corporation should make the road and stop the toll collection later on.

Concrete plan

• The PWD intended to convert the present tar road to CC and the project was worth R135 crore. 
• The related proposal stated that the main Aarey Colony Road connecting the Western Express Highway at Goregaon end with Powai and Marol would be made of cement-concrete and the internal road of asphalt. 
• At present, R5 is charged for two-wheelers and R15 for light utility vehicles using the road.

Courtesy
By Ranjeet Jadhav | Posted 07-Apr-2014
- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-aarey-road-repaired-for-3rd-time-in-2-years/15211053#sthash.3KBDlD1I.dpuf

Housing scam in Powai uses CM’s name

Mumbai: The state has ordered an inquiry into a bogus scheme orchestrated by unknown developers for affordable housing in Powai, inviting applications from the public for flats allocated at cheaper rates using the name of the chief minister.

The applications had been distributed to people who gathered at Mantralaya on Tuesday to submit them. The forms were reportedly addressed to CM Prithviraj Chavan requesting him to allocate the flat in the said scheme at an affordable rate of Rs 54,000 for a 400 sq ft flat. The state issued a statement making it clear that the applications are bogus.

“A bogus application has been prepared addressed to the CM in the name of Powai Area Development Scheme for affordable housing. There is no such government scheme. The police have been asked to make an inquiry,” the statement said.
Courtesy:
Chittaranjan Tembhekar
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/02/05&PageLabel=8&EntityId=Ar00810&ViewMode=HTML

Govt undecided on 2crore compensation to Cong MP Rajeev Shukla

MUMBAI: Succumbing to the pressure from Opposition parties, the government has scrapped a land deal with a local education society associated with Union minister of state Rajeev Shukla, but has kept pending a decision on the society’s demand that it be reimbursed the amount of Rs2 crore it spent on registering and securing the land.

Last week, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had asked the state administration to take back the land allotted to the BAG Film Education Society, of which Congress minister Rajeev Shukla was the secretary and his wife Anuradha Prasad the president.

In face of strong protests by the BJP, the society had declared itself willing to surrender the land. But it had demanded compensation for the huge amount it spent on registering the land, lease rent and other similar things.

T he s uburban collector office took possession of the land on Tuesday, confirmed the chief minister’s office on Friday. The local tehasildar completed transfer formalities on the grounds that the society wanted to surrender it.

The Bharatiya Janata Party had accused the government of giving BAG Films Educational Society a 2,821 square meter plot in Andheri reserved for a municipal primary school, and another adjacent 3,534.70 sq m plot reserved for a playground on ownership and lease in 2008 for a price much less than existing market rates.

It had alleged that the society would make profits by constructing a high-profile school on the plot.

However, a senior revenue official said that the department has not taken any decision on offering the money demanded by the society.

“We have completed the official procedure of land transfer. The seniors in the government may or may not decide on the society’s demand because the law pertaining to this is not very clear,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Shukla, ex-secretary of the society, was not available for comment.
Courtesy:
    17 Feb 2014
    Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
    HT Correspondent htmetro@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Cong MP’s trust demands 2cr to return leased plots

Mumbai: Congress Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla’s trust has sought a reimbursement of Rs 2.2 crore in lieu of returning the two prime plots in Andheri (W) which it had received on lease. It has told the state that it would remove the security it had deployed on the plots from February 15.

On receiving such a letter on Friday, chief minister Prithviraj Chavan wrote to the additional chief secretary, revenue, to forward the file to him so that the process of reclaiming the land could start.

Bags Films Educational Society (BFES), which had Shukla as its secretary at that time, had applied for the lease of the plots in 2007. A week later, Shukla resigned as secretary. According to the development plan, one plot was reserved for a civic primary school and the other for a playground. The trust, in its application, had mentioned it would build a school for the poor there. In 2008, the state leased out the plots to BFES for 15 years and in 2009, the trust got possession. The land was apparently given out at rates prevalent in 1976.

Activist Ashok Pandit, who exposed the government largesse to Shukla, said the plots together were now worth Rs 100 crore.

In its letter to the government, the BFES said when it took possession in 2009, it was encroached upon and that it rehabilitated 29 slumdwellers at Rs 1.85 crore. With government help, it razed 314 illegal structures but 27 encroachers were still there. The trust claims to have deployed security for which it has spent a huge sum, besides paying Rs 25 lakh on a fence and electricity. Also, it paid Rs 98,000 for the school plot and Rs 38,000 as rent for the playground, Rs 4 lakh as stamp duty and Rs 2.5 lakh for extension of time limit to build the school, it claimed.

BJP leader Kirit Somaiya alleged both CM and Shukla lied three months ago when the latter claimed he would return the land. “He is returning the land after being exposed. Merely because he has given it back does not mean he can escape prosecution. He must apologize to the people,” he said.
COURTESY:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=pastissues2&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/02/08&PageLabel=4&EntityId=Ar00404&ViewMode=HTML

Bldr told to pay soc 12L for ‘shoddy’ redevpt

‘INFERIOR QUALITY MATERIAL USED’
Mumbai:Sending a clear signal to builders who try to shortchange residents of redeveloped buildings, a consumer forum has directed a construction company to pay Rs 11.80 lakh compensation to a Bhandup society.

The forum held Classic Builders and Developers guilty of deficiency in service for failing to provide amenities that were promised on the redeveloped property.

The forum took into consideration the report submitted by an expert firm that said inferior quality material was used in the construction and this had led to leakage issues. “There is no doubt the construction was of inferior quality,” the forum observed.

The complaint was filed by Ganesh Cooperative Housing Society, located in Bhandup (E), on December 9, 2010. The society said it had 13 members and on March 24, 2005, it entered into an agreement with the company for redevelopment. According to the agreement the builder had agreed to hand over 225-sq-ft flats at no additional charge to each of the members. The members received possession of their flats in December 2008. Within the first year of the possession, the residents realized the builder had cheated them and used inferior quality material for construction, leading to a severe leakage problem. Additionally the builder had neither provided an automatic lift nor points for telephone and cable TV.

Despite repeated requests to solve the issues, the company did not pay heed to the residents. Alleging that the leakage had severely damaged the flats, the society filed a complaint before the additional district consumer disputes redressal forum.

The company filed reply and denied the allegations. It claimed that superior quality construction material had been used during the redevelopment and this was also conveyed to the society. The company further said residents took possession only after expressing their satisfaction with the flats and hence, there was no basis to their claims. But, the forum referred to the agreement that stated the company would provide the amenities claimed by the residents.
Courtesy:
Rebecca Samervel TNN
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2014/02/17&PageLabel=5&EntityId=Ar00502&ViewMode=HTML

Real estate firm directors booked for ‘cheating’ bizman of flat in Kharghar

Navi Mumbai: Acting on a court directive, the Kharghar police have registered an FIR against three directors of a Vashi-based real estate company on a businessman’s complaint that they were trying to cheat him of a flat he had booked in 2005.

A Panvel court passed the order in November on a criminal complaint filed by a Kopar Khairane resident, Manohar Kaka (51), earlier this year against Nalin Sharma, Suresh Patkar and Vijay Kadu of Sai Builders & Developers.

Kaka, who had filed a civil complaint in 2010 on the dispute, filed the criminal complaint following slow progress in the case.

Kaka said he had booked a flat in the developer’s 20-storey Yashvasin tower in Kharghar’s Sector 27 in December 2005. He alleged that he had paid Rs 19.46 lakh for the said flat but the developers were trying to sell the house to athird party at a higher price.

Kaka said that he paid the first instalment of Rs 51,000 for the flat in December 2005, when its price was about Rs 21 lakh. But he alleged that the builders demanded a booking amount of 50% of the flat’s price in 2007, in an attempt to cancel his allotment. The flat costs Rs 65-70 lakh now.

In their reply to the summons on Saturday, the builders said Kaka was misleading authorities. They said they had not encashed the last four cheques of Rs 2 lakh each given by Kaka in November 2009 as he had told them not to.

A spokesperson for Sai Builders & Developers told TOI, “Kaka has only paid Rs12.46 lakh since December 2005. We have issued him several reminders for payments for the 2-BHK flat he booked for a total cost of Rs 21.02 lakh. He defaulted in payments for which we sent him a flat cancellation notice in February 2009. We deny his allegations.’’ “We have not missed any hearing in the case. The 150 flats in the two wings of Yashvasin tower have sold out, only this one flat is in legal contention,’’ said a company official.

Apolice official confirmed that the FIR has been registered but said investigations would be made before further action is taken.
Courtesy:
Vijay Singh TNN
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/12/03&PageLabel=7&EntityId=Ar00701&ViewMode=HTML
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‘Name CM’s quota flat owners in 4 days’

HC Warns Of Contempt If Multiple Allottees’ List Is Not Given By Friday
Mumbai: Furnish a list of all double or multiple flat allotments under the chief minister’s discretionary quota in four days, the Bombay high told the state government on Monday.

The high court’s tough stance was clear when a division bench of Justices Abhay Oka and S C Gupte said it would be forced to initiate action if the list was not submitted.

“We want complete compliance of the April 2012 order of the high court. If not, we will not hesitate to issue contempt proceedings,” said the judges.

Hearing a petition on irregularities in allotments under the CM’s quota, another division bench in April 2012 had asked the state to furnish a list of persons to whom second flats had been allotted under the quota as well as details of whether any inquiry was conducted before the allotments.

About 2% of all Mhada flats and 5% flats in private projects on land that was within the purview of the Urban Land Ceiling Act go to the CM’s discretionary quota. They are allotted by the CM to artists, journalists, sportsmen and elected representatives.

The government’s last-gasp bid on Monday to keep the list secret by offering a copy only for the judges’ perusal did not pass muster.

“The April order does not say the copy of the list of allottees should not be given to the petitioner,” said the judges. They ordered the state to submit the list on Friday and give copies to petitioner Ketan Tirodkar by Saturday.

Additional public prosecutor Aruna Pai said the list was ready and the state would submit it to the court. The next hearing has been set for Monday.

Tirodkar in his petition had said he had obtained details of flat allotments under the CM’s quota between 1989 and 2010 through the Right to Information Act. He claimed there had been second allotments either to the same person or his family members and the beneficiaries were mostly politicians and journalists. “(The names of allotees) will be clear from the list,” said the court.

The court also heard the petition of Manohar Bait, who was initially held eligible for a flat under the CM’s quota and kept on the waiting list for years before being told that he could not be allotted a flat. Advocate Uday Warunjikar, counsel for Bait, echoed Tirodkar and told the court that details obtained under the RTI had revealed that politicians and their kin cutting across party lines benefited from second or multiple allotment of flats in violation of rules.
Courtesy:
Shibu Thomas TNN
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/12/03&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00301&ViewMode=HTML

I-T department launches probe against 600 cash hoarders

NEW DELHI: The income tax department has begun prosecution proceedings against some of the 600 entities of Indian origin who have allegedly laundered money through bogus investments in tax havens either in their name or through their front companies.

Recently, the member (investigation) of Central Board of Direct Taxes, who has been reporting to the finance minister on this issue, held a video conference with income tax directors general and chief commissioners and asked them to expedite their probe against all such individuals and corporate entities.

This time, the finance ministry has roped in Enforcement Directorate, Financial Intelligence Unit and Directorate of Revenue Intelligence besides the I-T department to investigate the list of 600 who have allegedly stashed funds in tax havens.

The finance ministry through the FIU has sought help from the US, UK and Australia on these entities and has been assured of some inputs from Australia. The government is also banking on receiving information from some of these countries by invoking the Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements and tax information exchange agreements which India has signed with many of the tax havens.

These 600 names, whose investments have been allegedly tracked in tax havens, are in addition to the 700 that France had shared with the government in 2011 about Indians having deposits in the Geneva branch of HSBC.

Investigation in the HSBC deposits across Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata among other cities had revealed that the ill-gotten cash belonged to top industrialists, some politicians and other entities, some working as fronts for people yet to be identified. The I-T department had recovered tax from many of these high-profile individuals and let them off without prosecution.

Sources said the ED has begun investigation of foreign exchange violations, and possible money laundering against these 600 entities. The database of 600 was first brought out by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) in the summer of 2013.

According to sources, the ED has written to the CBDT for details it has obtained from various foreign authorities on the Indians on the ICIJ list. The CBDT investigation has found that some of the addresses on the list are wrong, and in some cases, the individuals are NRIs who can legally carry out financial transactions in tax havens.

The ED is primarily looking at violations of Foreign Exchange Management Act, but if any criminality is unearthed, the agency could probe the violation under Prevention of Money Laundering Act.

The ICIJ database contains names of a few famous industrial families, some politicians, and several others. These people primarily used the services of Singapore-based Portcullis TrustNet and British Virgin Islands-based Commonwealth Trust Limited for opening offshore financial entities.

Among those who figure in the database are two Members of Parliament — Lok Sabha MP Vivekanand Gaddam and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Mallya. Also on it are industrialists such as Ravikant Ruia, Samir Modi, Chetan Burman, Abhay Kumar Oswal, Rahul Mammen Mappillai, Teja Raju, Saurabh Mittal, Vinod Doshi etc.

Former IAS officer Anil Lakhina, wife of a former Delhi power secretary R K Verma also figure on the list. The name of Gautam Khaitan, whose name has cropped up in the VVIP helicopter scandal, also figures among those with such accounts.

The database, which contains transactions carried out several years ago as well as recent ones, has 170 addresses from Mumbai, 113 with Delhi addresses, 44 with Kolkata addresses, 32 from Bangalore and 26 from Chennai.
Courtesy:
Pradeep Thakur & Josy Joseph,TNN
Feb 17, 2014, 01.35 AM IST
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/I-T-department-launches-probe-against-600-cash-hoarders/articleshow/30532519.cms

Mumbai has the state’s most corrupt officials

ACB records show 16% of 1,010 graft cases in Maharashtra are from city

MUMBAI: The city’s government and public sector officials are more corrupt than those in the rest of Maharashtra, reveals the latest data compiled by the AntiCorruption Bureau (ACB).

Cases against officials in Mumbai make up 16% of the total cases registered in the state — 1,010 — between January 1 and October 31, 2013, as per the data submitted by the ACB to the chief minister’s office recently, and accessed by HT.

By the end of October, 164 cases had been re gistered against them, of which 99 are discreet inquiries, 21 open inquiries, 40 involved traps laid to catch them and four are instances of disproportionate assets.

Nashik follows closely with 155 cases.

While the ACB’s Mumbai region data does not have casespecific and department-specific information, state-wide statistics show the police and the revenue department vying for top spot in the corruption chart. While the police have 126 corruption cases against them (involving 197 employees), the revenue department is close behind at 125 cases (involving 161 staffers).

The ACB has seized disproportionate assets worth around Rs21 crore from 17 accused, and in this category, the public works department tops the list, with assets worth Rs17.8 crore being seized from eight of its officials.

While top-ranked (class one and class two officers) in the PWD and transport departments were found to have accumulated a lot of disproportionate assets, no officers in these ranks in the police, revenue, irrigation, civic corporations, forest, education, agriculture and zilla parishads have such cases registered against them.

Though far less compared to police and revenue officials, local self-government staffers - civic corporations, zilla parishads and panchayat samitis - too have a significant number of cases registered against them. Employees of the public health and state electricity company, Mahavitaran, too are not above corruption.
Courtesy:
3 Dec 2013,
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
Dharmendra Jore dharmendra.jore@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

3 youths with unique modus operandi held for ATM fraud in city

GHATKOPAR ATM THEFT Constable Nivrutti Khetele realised something was amiss after ` 10,000 was withdrawn from his account without his knowledge at the ATM

MUMBAI: Three youngsters, all residents of Govandi, have been arrested for cheating ATM users in Ghatkopar of their money by tinkering with the machine and withdrawing money from their accounts.

The three accused — Akhtar Shaikh, 22, Hyder Shaikh, 26, and a 17-year-old — were arrested last week, on Thursday.

Officers at Pant Nagar police station said the trio, all college students, used a unique modus operandi — they would stick adhesive tapes on either the hash (#) or star (*) key of the machine, which would prevent a customer from completing the transaction as the machine would hang.

The police suspect that the minor accused would pretend to queue up behind and see the PIN being entered. Later, after the customer left, they would remove the adhesive, re- enter t he PIN and withdraw money.

The ATM centre belongs to a nationalised bank based in Ghatkopar (East).

The police and cyber experts are convinced that “there is a missing link” and are investigating the case to determine the exact modus operandi.

The ATM fraud at Ghatkopar came to light after Rs10,000 was siphoned off from the account of a police constable attached to the anti-narcotics cell after he used the ATM centre.

On November 1, constable Nivrutti Khetele went to the ATM centre in Ghatkopar (east). “Khetele could not complete his transaction as the machine hanged. He went to another ATM to withdraw money and that’s when he realised that there had been a previous transaction of Rs10,000 that he had not made,” said a police officer from Pant Nagar police station.

Khetele then decided to keep a watch on the ATM centre, which he did for a month after he was cheated. On Thursday, with help from colleagues, he finally picked up the three accused after he spotted them loitering suspiciously near the ATM.

The accused, Akhtar Shaikh, 22, Hyder Shaikh, 26, and a 17-year-old, are all students and residents of Govandi.

The trio were handed them over to the Pant Nagar police who are investigating the case. While Akhtar and Hyder were produced before a local court and have been remanded in police custody till December 5, the juvenile has been sent to a remand home.

The police said the CCTV camera fitted inside the ATM centre of the nationalised bank was not working. “Investigations have revealed that another person too was cheated in a similar manner. We are investigating to determine how many people were cheated,” said Suresh Nirmal, senior inspector, Pant Nagar police station.

The police have seized an ATM card, whose details are not visible, from the accused.

INVESTIGATIONS HAVE REVEALED THAT ANOTHER PERSON TOO WAS CHEATED IN A SIMILAR MANNER. WE ARE INVESTIGATING FURTHER.
SURESH NIRMAL, senior inspector
Courtesy:
3 Dec 2013
Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
HT Correspondent htmetro@hindustantimes.com
http://paper.hindustantimes.com/epaper/viewer.aspx

Pay `2 lakh to Borivli society, builder told

The suburban district consumer forum has directed a developer to pay Rs2 lakh as compensation to members of a Borivli society towards additional water bills they had to pay because the developer failed to hand over the necessary certificates.

The forum has also directed the firm to hand over the necessary certificates to the society members within six months, and pay the society an additional Rs25,000 towards legal expenses.

The case dates back to 1992-93, when Jay Enterprises raised a society named Kanakai Krupa in Borivli. The order copy states, “After the developer handed over the possession of the flats, the society members had asked the developer to get the society registered. However, the developer turned down their request. Finally, in March 1999, the society members themselves got it registered. Further, when the society members approached the firm demanding the occupation and transfer certificates, the firm didn’t hand them over.”

The society members filed a complaint against the firm with the consumer forum in 2003. When the forum asked the firm and its partners to file their reply, they claimed that the firm was ready to hand over the occupation as well as transfer certificates to the society members if they are willing to bear the expenses.

After going through the evidence, the forum held that the developer was at fault for failing to hand over the necessary certificates to the society members within four months of the society’s registration. It further claimed that in Maharashtra, it is mandatory for the builder to hand over the occupation certificate to the society members, which the firm failed to do.
Courtesy:
Pranali Lotlikar @plotlikar
Published Date:  Nov 09, 2013
http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=54893&boxid=32588&ed_date=2013-11-09&ed_code=820009&ed_page=7

BMC blind to high-profile illegality

Civic body fails to do a campa cola on sukhada-shubhada bldgs where netas stay
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) seems keen to initiate action against seven Campa Cola Compound buildings, but it seems to be dragging its feet over high-profile twin societies Shubhada and Shukhada in Worli (in pic), where also unauthorised alterations have been carried out.
Infighting in the BMC is responsible for the delay.

According to a senior civic official, the matter has been referred to the civic body’s legal department, following a dispute between the building proposal department and the designated officer from the G-south ward office.

The dispute started after the designated officer questioned the department if he has the authority to take action, based on the notices the department has issued to the societies over the violations.

In April this year, the civic body had issued notices to deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, BJP leader Gopinath Munde, Punjab governor Shivraj Patil Chakurkar, Maharashtra state Congress president Manikrao Thakre and ministers Patangrao Kadam and Anil Deshmukh, among others under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning Act, following complaints from RTI activist Amit Maru.

These politicians have allegedly converted shops allotted to them into offices and even gymnasiums and carried out unauthorised alterations.

Civic officials said that since the societies did not remove the unauthorised alterations, the matter was forwarded to the designated officer of the G-south ward in September to initiate action.

As per a gazette notification issued on April 15, 2013, designated officers across the city have been empowered to initiate action against unauthorised constructions in their respective wards. The notification has made a ward’s assistant engineer (building and factory) as the designated officer.

“Because the notices have been issued by the building proposal department, action will be delayed. The designated officer will have to start the process from the beginning, such as seeking the required plans, inspecting sites to verify the violations and initiate action,” said a civic official.

“But if the designated officer overlooks any irregularity, even by mistake, he will be held responsible. We believe the assistant engineer of the building proposal department, who issued the notices to the societies, can be made the stand-in designated officer. He knows the issue well, so he will be in a better position to take action,” added the official.
Courtesy
Vishwas Waghmode @vishwas_01
Published Date:  Nov 09, 2013
http://epaper.dnaindia.com/story.aspx?id=54890&boxid=36102&ed_date=2013-11-09&ed_code=820009&ed_page=4

Auram scam: Execs diverted funds, say cops

MUMBAI: Police investigation into a cheating case registered against Auram Realty has revealed that the directors diverted the money collected from investors into setting up hotels, constructing buildings and financing C-grade movies and music albums. The directors also purchased high-end vehicles — BMW, Audi, Tavera, Honda City and Honda Accords — and bought gold worth Rs 35 lakh.

The economic offences wing (EOW) recently arrested two of the directors, Jignesh Rathod (35) and Shafiq Shaikh (32). The EOW is looking for six more directors — Sandeep Shukla, Manoj Shukla, Hemant Jaswantrai Mehta, Subhash Prahraj, Abhijit Gavande and his wife Kajal Gavande.

Sandeep, promoter of Leo 1 Productions, was the financier of the second season of a popular reality show. The bank accounts revealed a cash transfer of Rs 1 crore to Leo 1 and another Rs 50 lakh to actor Rajpal Yadav to produce a film, the police said. Manoj was one of the partners of the Kalyan's Samarth builders.

TOI was the first to report the scam as well as the involvement of Shukla brothers. "The company claimed to be into construction of weekend bungalows in Karjat, Singhdal, Shahapur and Ambivli ,'' said additional commissioner of police (EOW) Sanjay Saxena. The investors are spread across the state and have collectively lost more than Rs 40 crore as of now. The police say the accused had entered into an MoU on bogus stamp papers and got the same notarised. "Bogus property documents and tentative ownership papers of non-agricultural plots signed by Rathod were annexed with the MoU,'' a police officer said. The accused spent money in setting up digital film studious in Mumbai, Delhi , Chandigarh, Amritsar and Dubai. The police found the accused also used investor money to a hotel in Thane.

The EOW acted on a complaint by Amrish Patankar, a customs clearing agent and a resident of Majiwadi in Thane.

They floated various schemes for different investors ranging from Rs 51,000 to Rs 7.25 lakh. "On an investment of Rs 51,000, the investors were offered Rs 8,160 per month and at the end of the third year, promised ownership of a 170-squarefoot plot in the said bungalows. If one invested Rs 5 lakh, he was promised Rs 89,250 per month and ownership of a 1,750-square-foot plot plus a 10-gram gold coin. Those who invested Rs 7.25 lakh were offered Rs 58,000 per month plus ownership of a 2,500-square-foot bungalow at the end of the third year and a 20-gram gold coin.''
Courtesy:
S Ahmed Ali, TNN May 25, 2010, 06.08am IST
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-05-25/mumbai/28274815_1_eow-bungalows-police-officer

Realty company dupes investors of Rs 40 crore

MUMBAI: The economic offences wing (EOW) has registered a case against a realty firm for allegedly cheating over 3,000 investors after promising them high returns. The firm, M/s Aurum Realty Ltd, the police say, may have swindled people all over the state and the fraud is to the tune of Rs 40 crore.

According to an EOW official, Amrish Patankar, a Customs House clearing agent, lodged a complaint on March 15 stating that the company had floated two schemes at Kasara and Karjat and promised to construct "dream houses" there. "The company promised the unsuspecting victims very high returns on the amount they invested till the project came up. The firm even assured that the investors will be the tentative owners of the one-acre land at Karjat,'' a police officer said.

"The company has two offices in Mumbai; one in Mulund and the other at Senapati Bapat Marg. The Parel office was, in fact, rented on a monthly payment of Rs 1.84 lakh. But the offices are shut now,'' said the officer, adding that more than 35 investors had approached the police. "We suspect the number of those duped is more than 3,000,'' he said. The company has its other offices at Nashik, Aurangabad and Pune.

Investigators said the company floated the scheme in January 2009 and placed huge advertisements in newspapers. The advertisements read: "Change your life. Be Rich. Get wealthy by investing in land.'' The company had two schemes: Nature Valley and Astra Hills. The investors were promised that their money will be doubled in a year. Now, the police suspect that the land at Karjat, for which advertisements were placed, does not even belong to the company.

"Directors of the company were careful in disbursing the returns till March, after which it stopped. Now, the investors have started approaching the police,'' another officer said.

According to the scheme, if a person invested Rs 51,000, he was supposed to get a monthly return of Rs 8,160 for one year. Those who invested Rs 7.25 lakh were to get a monthly return of Rs 1.30 lakh. "In its brochure, Aurum stated that it's ISO certified and had promised customers high-rises with a host of amenities. But since one year the plot has been lying vacant,'' a senior police officer said.
Courtesy:
Mateen Hafeez, TNN Mar 23, 2010, 04.43am IST
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-03-23/mumbai/28132351_1_police-officer-schemes-monthly-return

Innovative scamster dupes victims of Rs 3cr

MUMBAI: Money-doubling schemes have become so innovative and convincing that gullible investors often fall prey to them without questioning the veracity of the plans even once.

Mohan Patil from Wadala came up with a scheme where women who invested Rs 5,000 in the first month of pregnancy were promised Rs 46,000 on giving birth. In the second scheme, for an investment of Rs 4,000, Patil issued a ticket, that entitled them for a three- day-two-night stay at hotels in tourist spots. Patil transported them in his own buses and also arranged for lodging. After 120 days of the visit, the investors were promised Rs 12,000.

"The returns were directly proportionate to the investment," the police said. Patil was arrested by the EOW on Thursday.

Interestingly, when the police started sealing his offices, he came up with another idea. On Thursday, Patil, with his 'investors', took a morcha to Azad Maidan against the police. But this did not work out and soon after the protest got over, EOW arrested Patil, who has duped several people of Rs 3 crore.
Courtesy:
Ahmed Ali, TNN Feb 9, 2010, 01.49am IST
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-02-09/mumbai/28136977_1_gullible-investors-eow-scheme

Ex-director of fraud firm surrenders

MUMBAI: Former director of fraud firm Aryarup Travel and Club Resort surrendered before the Pune police last week. Vasuda Deshmukh, who is wanted in the multi-crore investment scam, will be brought to the city this week.

Nandkishore Patil from Nigadi police station in Pune said, "We have arrested Vasuda for a year-old fraud case. She is being questioned."

The city economic offences wing (EOW) had registered an FIR against Vasuda and her husband Ravindra in 2010. The Deshmukhs floated several schemes in Gujarat, Haryana, Jaipur, Bangalore and Maharashtra. Investors were promised annual returns of 86% to 96% if they put in Rs 5,000 and more in the schemes. Investors who brought in others were entitled to additional returns. The company had opened accounts of its investors on its website. "The suspects allotted login names and passwords to the investors and told them that their profit would be automatically transferred to their accounts. The Mumbai police are investigating the case under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Prize Chits and Money Circulation Schemes (Banning) Act, 1978," said a police officer.

The EOW had recently issued lookout notices against Vasuda and Ravindra. Sources said the firm's turnover was in excess of Rs 1,000 crore per annum. Aryarup claimed on various websites that it distributed over Rs 900 crore to its investors in one year. The firm also said that 400 of its investors had earned over Rs one crore.

Two plots, totaling 75 acres, owned by the company directors were attached by the EOW in February this year.

The total value of these plots is around Rs 12.30 crore, said sources. Besides, 17 bank accounts in which investors had deposited Rs 12.5 crore have also been frozen.

The firm had branches in Haryana, Gujarat and other states. In Maharashtra, the firm set up its offices in Buldhana Nashik, Nanded, Solapur, Parbhani, Jaipur, Thane, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai, Jalgaon, Bhusawal, Pune and Latur, among others. Sources said Aryarup could have more than one lakh investors

Daniel Pranjal, chief of direct selling consultancy firm Strategy India, said, "Several individuals start such companies promising high returns with the knowledge that they would have to keep getting money from new investors to pay off the old ones."

Pranjal said there are over 300 such companies operating in India and the schemes would have mobilized over Rs 7,000 crore till date.

Directors of Aryarup Travel & Club Resort—Ravindra Deshmukh and his wife Vasuda—are accused of duping over 1,000 people by offering to double their investments.
Courtesy:
Mateen Hafeez, TNN Aug 29, 2011, 03.27am IST
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-08-29/mumbai/29941037_1_investors-fraud-firm-bank-accounts

Khar ALM exposes BMC-hawker scam

ALM members find godown clerk, along with three others, returning wares to hawkers for as little as Rs 300 when the actual fine is a minimum of Rs 1,250

Members of a Khar ALM exposed how and why illegal hawkers return to a designated zone a few hours after they are evicted.

On Saturday night, the members of the ALM went to a BMC godown, where wares seized by the hawkers are kept. According to the rules, hawkers are supposed to come and collect the wares only after paying a fine. The minimum a hawker needs to pay is Rs 1,250. However, residents were shocked to find officials returning the wares and the confiscated goods to the hawkers for as little as Rs 300. This, they said, was done ‘under the table’.

The ALM received a tip-off from some residents that a BMC godown was open after 11 pm. Sensing something amiss, members of the ALM went to investigate. They found two lorry inspectors, one godown clerk and another person, who was not a member of the ward office team.

“What shocked us the most is that other than officials posted at the godown, there was an official from BMC’s special squad whose job is only to confiscate wares. He was sitting in the godown and negotiating with the hawkers for the bribe money,”said Hasim Shaikh, a member of ALM 144 and a local acvitist. The residents have also managed to record a video of the same. The special squad officer, allegedly from Dadar, immediately fled the spot.

The residents immediately alerted various BMC authorities including the municipal commissioner. The Khar police was also informed and they rushed to the spot immediately.

“This is not the first time that such an incident has taken place. In 2008-09, we had similarly exposed an officer who used to allow people to dump old goods and take away goods that were meant for auctioning. The then deputy municipal commissioner rushed to the spot and caught them red handed. The officers on duty were suspended immediately and an inquiry was initiated,” said Aftab Siddique, chairperson of ALM 144.

When Mumbai Mirror contacted Mohan Adtani, additional municipal commissioner, confirmed receiving the complaint from the residents.

“I had instructed deputy municipal commissioner, removal of encroachment, to personally go to the godown and conduct a preliminary inquiry. It was found in the inquiry that there were irregularities. The material lying in the godown was less than what had been confiscated (suggesting that wares had been given out without imposing fines). We have decided to suspend the godown incharge and institute a formal inquiry into the incident,” said Adtani.
Courtesy:
Pooja.Naik @timesgroup.com 
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=MIRRORNEW&BaseHref=MMIR/2013/04/22&PageLabel=8&EntityId=Ar00800&ViewMode=HTML

Wiki: Fernandes sought CIA funds

New Delhi: Diplomatic cables released on Monday by Wikileaks claimed that senior JD-U leader and former convenor of NDA, George Fernandes sought funds from the Central Intelligence Agency during the Emergency and asked French labour attache Manfred Turlach to suggest CIA contacts.

The US labour counsellor was also approached by a Fernandes acquaintance to arrange a meeting between him and the US ambassador, the cables said in a revelation that suggests the socialist leader was ready to forego his political allergy of the US to seek monetary assistance to fight the Indira regime.

In his conversations with Turlach, Fernandes is shown claiming that he had a band of 300 people involved in sabotage activities liking blowing up railway bridges in the south and a bridge between Mumbai and Pune besides setting Mumbai dock and the LIC building in Chennai on fire. One cable showed Fernandes stating in November 1975 that “he was even prepared to accept money from the USA”.

Fernandes, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, couldn’t be contacted. The socialist leader, who burst into the national spotlight after be brought the country to a halt by a railway strike, was not perceived to be friendly to the US. He shut down the operations of Coca Cola and IBM when he was industry minister. However, his animus towards the Congress, especially during the Emergency, may have pushed him to take extreme measures, including seeking US assistance.

A trade union colleague of Fernandes said, “In the battle between means and end, he has rarely let means come in the way of end. It does not surprise me that George sought CIA help and as a minister in the Janata government, threw Coca Cola and IBM out of the country.”
Courtesy:
TIMES NEWS NETWORK
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=TOIM/2013/04/09&PageLabel=13&EntityId=Ar01302&ViewMode=HTML