CM stay on handing over markets to private parties

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's plan to hand over 12 markets in various parts of the city to private parties might receive a blow with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh assuring a stay on the proposal.

Seeking a stay on the BMC's move, former minister and Congress MLA from Kurla Naseem Khan met Deshmukh on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum.

"The chief minister has informed that he would order a stay on the BMC plan," Khan told PTI.

The markets included one in Khan's Assembly constituency Kurla, built by Hiranandani Developers.

The other markets include -- one near the Andheri-Ghatkopar junction, Grant Road, Millat Nagar, Goregaon,

Kondivita, Parel, Santacruz, Wanni Market, Malad, Sakinaka and Dahisar.

The markets were built for BMC under a scheme where plots were alloted for development. However, instead of using them for retail, food and other services, BMC had proposed to hand over these plots to private parties to run other business establishments.

Khan alleged that political leaders and some senior BMC officers were hand-in-glove and had planned to hand over these markets to private parties for running hotels and beer bars.

• Also read: Private mandis? Most welcome