Sounds strange but it is true, the auto rickshaw drivers in Ulhasnagar are collecting money so that they can pay an amount of Rs. 10 lakhs as bribe to Milind Sonawane. It is alleged that Milind who is a town planner with Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation (UMC) has demanded Rs. 10 lakhs for letting through the project of setting up a CNG station in the area.
The campaign for collecting money started on Thursday with the Shaheed Marutirao Jadhav Rickshaw Chalak Malak Union (SMJRCMU) taking up the initiative and it will continue till the whole amount is collected. The Union has positioned donation boxes at 16 stands with banners asking the auto rickshaw drivers to contribute a sum of Rs.100. The drivers of other Unions have also joined the campaign and it is expected that Rs.12 lakhs will be collected by the week.
They want a CNG pump in the area as the drivers are compelled to drive 8 km either to Ambernath or Kalyan to refuel the tank.
SMJRCMU’s President Raja Patil said, “We had gone to meet the mayor on Monday when we came to know of an ACB complaint by a resident, Nitin Motwani, alleging that despite having all clearances from Mahanagar Gas and the Explosives Department, the UMC town planner was demanding Rs 10 lakh for clearance from his side, There are 12,000 autos plying in Ulhasnagar. Every auto driver wastes half his day on procuring fuel. We felt that it was best to collect the bribe amount and get the clearance.”
28 yrs old Nitin Motwani told that “The Mahanagar gas pipeline has been laid in Ulhasnagar and Ambernath and I have completed all procedures needed for setting up the CNG station. I quit my job as a chemical engineer to pursue this business venture. All this came to standstill when Sonawane demanded Rs 10 lakh as bribe.”
Shridhar Patankar, UMC additional commissioner, said, “There was some issue regarding distance of the plot from the junction, for which the clearance was kept on hold.”
Sonawane denied the allegations and said it is all done to harass him. He also told that UMC Commission has asked for an explanation.
Image for representational purpose only
