Alleging serious irregularities in the allotment of the Gandhi Nagar skating rink, 12 residents have moved the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court by filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), seeking an independent inquiry into the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) decision to lease the facility to a private club without a competitive bidding process.
The PIL has been filed by Mahir Patel, Manish Vaidya, Ajay Shivankar and nine other residents. They have challenged the allotment of the skating rink at Gandhi Nagar Ground to Shivaji Skating Club, operated by Krishna Baisware, claiming the civic body granted the facility on a 50-year lease in violation of legal provisions.
According to the petition, the allotment letter was issued on November 15, 1995, by the then Education Officer of the NMC, who allegedly lacked the authority to execute such a decision. The petitioners contend that the allotment breached Section 79 of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act, 1949, as it was made without issuing a public tender, causing financial loss to the civic body.
The residents further claimed that the allotment letter surfaced only during earlier court proceedings after it was produced by the club operator. They alleged that the NMC has no official record of the document in its own files, raising questions over the legality of the lease.
The PIL also states that the skating rink is being commercially operated on land reserved as an open space and playground, depriving residents of a public recreational facility. The petitioners argued that the land belongs to the Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and that neither the NIT’s approval nor the consent of local residents was obtained before the allotment.
The petitioners said they had earlier brought the matter to the notice of Municipal Commissioner Dr Vipin Itankar, requesting action against the alleged illegal allotment and commercial operation of the rink. However, they claimed that no action was taken, forcing them to seek judicial intervention.
The petition seeks an independent inquiry into the allotment and appropriate action against the officials responsible. The matter has been listed for hearing on July 17. Advocate Dr Tushar Mandlekar appeared for the petitioners.
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