Showing posts with label Nikitesh Chaubal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nikitesh Chaubal. Show all posts
Meet Nikitesh Chaubal, the man who put comic Kapil Sharma out of humour
11:32 AM
Nikitesh Chaubal, whose complaint to BMC brought about the teardown of unauthorised bits in the comedian's office, tells Mirror the illegal construction also killed mangroves
Chaitanya Marpakwar (MUMBAI MIRROR; September 11, 2016)
The tragedy that
befell comic Kapil Sharma after he built illegal extensions at his
Andheri office and before he invoked the prime minister over an alleged
bribe demand by a city official, was brought on by a 26-year-old activist
from Andheri — Nikitesh Chaubal. He now wants to lodge a first
information report against the man with a self-titled show on
television.It was Chaubal's complaint in June made to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) which prompted the administration to issue a stop-work notice to Sharma in July. And when the TV star forged ahead with the construction, the city demolished illegal portions of his office in August.
While Sharma tweeted to Narendra Modi on Friday saying a civic official was asking for Rs 5 lakh in grease money — without specifying for what — Chaubal doubts if any such incident came to pass.
"If any BMC official wanted to settle the matter by taking a bribe from Sharma, they would not have demolished the office. They acted on my complaint and I am satisfied with their response," Chaubal told Mirror.
In Friday's tweet alleging graft, Sharma also questioned if these were the prime minister's promised "acche din", sparking a flurry of riproaring comments on Twitter as people pointed out how a person making illegal extensions is petitioning the highest office of the land and crying corruption.
Chaubal thinks Sharma's hashtagging of Modi is pure gimmickry. "He has created a lot of hype by tweeting to Modi. He should set his house in order first," he said, adding that if Sharma did encounter genuine corruption, he should have filed a complaint with the Anti-Corruption Bureau or the BMC. "Making such allegations on a public forum without lodging a formal complaint is not fair. Our complaint was genuine and the BMC has done a fine job," Chaubal said.
It was a few years ago that Chaubal joined Jagrut Mumbaikar, a non-profit that helps people file RTIs, resolves civic issues, and keeps a watch on illegal constructions.
Earlier in the year, the comedian's neighbours and other Andheri residents had intimated Chaubal about the illegal construction. "People said Sharma wasn't paying any heed to their requests to stop the work. So we intervened and complained to the BMC," the Chaubal wants to see the issue through to its just end. He says the illegal construction is not an innocent slip-up but a deliberate disregard for the law, which also resulted in the destruction of mangroves. "I'll file a complaint with the suburban collector's office so an FIR is filed against Sharma. These are all very serious offences and he must be booked," Chaubal said, adding that BMC has assured him of all possible support.
Sharma could not be contacted for comment. He also failed to respond to the BMC's vigilance department, which wrote to him on Friday seeking details of his bribery allegation, like the name of the official. But they were still awaiting his response till late last evening.
"Sharma should give us the name of the officer who demanded bribe. We are awaiting his reply and hope he cooperates with us," said BMC's chief engineer Manohar Pawar.
Chaubal further stated he doesn't have an axe to grind with Sharma. "I have only seen him on TV," he said, and added, "We'll ensure he doesn't get away with the violations."
DAY AFTER TWEET, SLEW OF PLAINTS AGAINST SHARMA
RTI activists made a beeline outside Versova police station on Saturday to file complaints against Sharma for illegal construction; encroachment; destroying mangroves; violating coastal regulation zone norms; and for not approaching the police for a month after a bribe demand was made:
♦ RTI activist Santosh Daundkar
♦ RTI activist Asad Patel
♦ Godfrey Pimenta of Watchdog Foundation. He said, "Google Images from 2001and 2013 indicate that Sharma's bungalow has been extended horizontally, as well as seawards, which CRZ norms prohibit."
♦ BJP legislator Ram Kadam threatened to protest outside Sharma's residence, saying: "Sharma should reveal the bribe seeker's name in next 24 hours. If he does not, as a citizen of a democracy, I will myself go and protest outside his residence."
FIR against Kapil Sharma likely after Ganeshotsav, cops tell BMC
11:30 AM
Civic Body Had Issued Notices On 'Irregularities' In Goregaon Flat
Richa Pinto (THE TIMES OF INDIA; September 11, 2016)
Comedian Kapil Sharma, who
kicked up a storm on Friday, claiming a BMC official had demanded a Rs 5
lakh bribe and tagged PM Narendra Modi to his tweet, was already in
trouble over his Goregaon flat, say civic officials.
On June 23, the civic body had lodged a complaint with Oshiwara police under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP) 1966, saying Sharma did not comply with its notices over unauthorized construction in the Goregaon flat. Oshiwara police, in turn, have assured the civic body of filing a panchnama and an FIR in the case after Ganeshotsav.
Sharma, who owns a flat on the ninth floor of DLH Enclave at Goregaon, was issued a notice this April for carrying out unauthorized work, including merger of the elevation features, ducts, voids, the common passage and a part of the podium for parking. The BMC issued a second notice on June 23 saying Sharma had not restored the flats to the original plan nor had he submitted a satisfactory reply to the earlier notice. It lodged a police complaint the same day.
In a statement to the media on Saturday over the Twitter controversy, Sharma said, “I have only expressed my concerns. However, it has taken the shape of an unnecessary controversy. My space is on the entertainment platform and not on the news platform. I am not a part of any political organization and nor do I intend to be. I have utmost respect for the honourable Prime Minister and the government, both Union and state, its agencies and statutory bodies. I am a law-abiding citizen and shall act as legally advised. This was my anger against corruption which I expressed on Twitter.“
The Samajwadi Party in the BMC, though, has accused Sharma of “double standards“. “Strict action needs to be taken against Sharma's property for unauthorized construction. We plan to raise the issue on all forums in the BMC. On one hand, he claims he was asked to pay bribes to the BMC for making an office (in his other Andheri property) and, on the other, he indulges in such large-scale unauthorized works,“ said Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party leader in the BMC.
Yuva Sena president Aaditya Thackeray had taken to Twitter on Friday to ask Sharma for details of the officer who had demanded the bribe “to drive out corruption“. Thackeray on Saturday said he had not pulled down the tweet, contrary to reports.
Sharma has also been facing scrutiny over his Andheri row house. On Saturday, the local ward officials reached the property to check for any irregularities; they had demolished a portion of the property over unauthorized construction on August 4.
The ward office also plans to write to the conservator of forests about “destruction of mangroves“ in the backyard of the property. “We had written to the forest department six months ago about complaints of destruction of mangroves in the area. We will now send them a reminder,“ said Parag Masurkar, assistant municipal commissioner, K-West Ward.
On Saturday, other than activist Nikitesh Chaubal, RTI activist Asad Patel, too, took up the mangroves issue.Patel made a written application to Versova police, demanding that an FIR be registered against Sharma for alleged destruction of mangroves at his Andheri office (row house). The application was made by Patel's lawyer on his behalf. On noticing that no legal action has been taken against Sharma, Patel dashed off an application to the cops, demanding that provisions of the Environment Protection Act, Forest Act, Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and Indian Penal Code be invoked.
On June 23, the civic body had lodged a complaint with Oshiwara police under the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Act (MRTP) 1966, saying Sharma did not comply with its notices over unauthorized construction in the Goregaon flat. Oshiwara police, in turn, have assured the civic body of filing a panchnama and an FIR in the case after Ganeshotsav.
Sharma, who owns a flat on the ninth floor of DLH Enclave at Goregaon, was issued a notice this April for carrying out unauthorized work, including merger of the elevation features, ducts, voids, the common passage and a part of the podium for parking. The BMC issued a second notice on June 23 saying Sharma had not restored the flats to the original plan nor had he submitted a satisfactory reply to the earlier notice. It lodged a police complaint the same day.
In a statement to the media on Saturday over the Twitter controversy, Sharma said, “I have only expressed my concerns. However, it has taken the shape of an unnecessary controversy. My space is on the entertainment platform and not on the news platform. I am not a part of any political organization and nor do I intend to be. I have utmost respect for the honourable Prime Minister and the government, both Union and state, its agencies and statutory bodies. I am a law-abiding citizen and shall act as legally advised. This was my anger against corruption which I expressed on Twitter.“
The Samajwadi Party in the BMC, though, has accused Sharma of “double standards“. “Strict action needs to be taken against Sharma's property for unauthorized construction. We plan to raise the issue on all forums in the BMC. On one hand, he claims he was asked to pay bribes to the BMC for making an office (in his other Andheri property) and, on the other, he indulges in such large-scale unauthorized works,“ said Rais Shaikh, Samajwadi Party leader in the BMC.
Yuva Sena president Aaditya Thackeray had taken to Twitter on Friday to ask Sharma for details of the officer who had demanded the bribe “to drive out corruption“. Thackeray on Saturday said he had not pulled down the tweet, contrary to reports.
Sharma has also been facing scrutiny over his Andheri row house. On Saturday, the local ward officials reached the property to check for any irregularities; they had demolished a portion of the property over unauthorized construction on August 4.
The ward office also plans to write to the conservator of forests about “destruction of mangroves“ in the backyard of the property. “We had written to the forest department six months ago about complaints of destruction of mangroves in the area. We will now send them a reminder,“ said Parag Masurkar, assistant municipal commissioner, K-West Ward.
On Saturday, other than activist Nikitesh Chaubal, RTI activist Asad Patel, too, took up the mangroves issue.Patel made a written application to Versova police, demanding that an FIR be registered against Sharma for alleged destruction of mangroves at his Andheri office (row house). The application was made by Patel's lawyer on his behalf. On noticing that no legal action has been taken against Sharma, Patel dashed off an application to the cops, demanding that provisions of the Environment Protection Act, Forest Act, Mumbai Municipal Corporation Act and Indian Penal Code be invoked.
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