HC orders AMC officer to deposit personal cost by Dec 23

Lokmat News Network

Aurangabad: The Aurangabad Bench of Bombay High Court comprising Justice Ravindra Ghuge and Justice Sanjay Deshmukh has ordered the head of the anti-encroachment squad of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), Ravindra Nikam, to deposit the ‘personal cost’ of Rs 25,000 from his salary with the registrar by December 23.

Earlier, the bench had issued an order on November 22 to Nikam to deposit ‘personal cost’ holding him responsible for not implementing the High Court orders of removing the illegal cable wires and filing offences against those who have laid the cable wires since 2020. However, the ‘personal cost’ was deposited by the AMC through a cheque, instead of Nikam. Hence the High Court issued a fresh order on December 15. It also underlined that the amount deposited by the AMC should be withdrawn and then the ‘personal cost’ should be paid from his (Nikam) salary.

The next hearing on public interest litigation (PIL) will be held on January 11, 2023. Meanwhile, the High Court has ordered the AMC to submit a detailed report mentioning the total quantity of illegal cable wires removed and seized till January 10, 2023; the number of cases filed against illegal operators as per the provision of the Act and how many operators had been issued permissions.

Adv. Sandesh Hange represented the applicant Mukesh Bhat, Adv. Anjali Dubey-Vajpayee pleaded on behalf of the AMC, Adv. Sachin Deshmukh voiced on behalf of Hathaway Cable, Adv. Kavita Bhale on behalf of M/s Seva Digital Network and the government pleader D R Kale represented the State Government.

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Order on service providers

The High Court also ordered the AMC to take the decision about granting of permission to the persons (providers) providing fixed-line broadband internet service with the permission of the BSNL Department within 10 days from the date of receiving the application. The above cable operators should be given permission to lay their cables, optic fibre, wire or TV cable. The operators should continue their cable service. Hence the AMC while removing the illegal cable wires from the city should take care that the cables of these permission-holders do not get broken, stated the order.