Activists accuse BMC of high-handedness

Petitioners write to CM to stop civic body’s attempts to target grassroots workers

The BMC has declared Praja Foundation as persona-non-grata in October last year.

A group of activists on Friday sent a petition to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis highlighting the high handedness of senior officials of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the attempts to target them and malign those working on the ground.

The petition was signed by former police commissioner, Julio Ribero, former municipal commissioner D.M. Sukthankar, former Central Information Commissioner Shailesh Gandhi, Sucheta Dalal of Moneylife Foundation and Nitai Mehta, founder, Praja Foundation.

The petition has been signed in response to BMC’s decision to declare Praja Foundation persona-non-grata in October last year. The civic body had said that the NGO had misinterpreted and misrepresented healthcare data regarding a government-run tuberculosis programme.

“What the Municipal Commissioner has said, in complete pompousness and arrogance, is that one set of people cannot exercise their fundamental rights,” Mr. Gandhi said. Praja Foundation received two letters from KEM Hospital and the education department of M East Ward covering parts of Deonar, Chembur and Mankhurd, declining information sought under the Right To Information (RTI) Act.

In the aftermath of the Kamala Mills Fire, the Municipal Commissioner had spoken about a nexus between BMC officials, local politicians and activists.

Ms. Dalal said, “Name the activists and take action. You cannot tarnish all activists and you can’t go after people who go against you.” She added that the media will also be gagged in a similar fashion if a stand is not taken right now.

Mr. Ribero said, “I believe that the action taken by the municipal commissioner against Praja is not correct. Today it is Praja. Tomorrow it maybe someone else.”

The petitioners have also demanded that responses to RTI applications be displayed on the BMC website stating if the information is out in public then there will be no scope for blackmail. The petitioners also said that they will be forced to take the legal route, if their plea does not yield any results.