Ganesh mandals go to CM Devendra Fadnavis for fine waiver

Even as the civic body struggles to recover dues amounting to over Rs 30 lakh from errant Ganesh mandals in the form of fines imposed for unattended potholes last year, the mandals have approached the chief minister requesting a fine waiver.

Representatives of the Akhil Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mahamandal approached Devendra Fadnavis last week and requested him to reduce the fine amount of Rs 2,000 per pothole imposed by the civic body.

“The chief minister took note of our request and has agreed to reduce the fine, or waive it off altogether. We have also made the same request to the municipal commissioner,” said a spokesperson for Akhil Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Mahamandal.

Meanwhile, dues of over Rs 30 lakh from the previous three years in the form of fines are yet to be recovered by the BMC.

Additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh maintained the fine would not be waived off.

“The court order that came out on Wednesday has laid down specifications and guidelines for pandals. Once we receive the order, we will study it and decide our future course of action. We cannot overstep the court, but there is no talk of waiving the fine,” he said.

A ward-level official who did not wish to be named said his department was unable to rein in the errant mandals because of the politics involved. “Most mandals are patronised by local politicians, or even bigger leaders. We do our bit by sending out notices, but there is little we can do besides that.”

The Ganesh mandals on the other hand have blamed the contractors for their callous approach. They have demanded that the contractor responsible for hoisting the pandal should be charged for unattended potholes, instead of the mandal, which merely employs them.

The BMC’s official figure for pending dues stands at Rs30 lakh; according to reports, the dues to be recovered from Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal alone is Rs38 lakh, which is pending since 2012. The BMC had imposed a fine of Rs 3.36 lakh on Lalbaugcha Raja last year for creating 168 potholes.