The rift is wide and clear — within the House, and the party — over revenue in the form of local body tax (LBT) and upholding a social cause outlined by the Supreme Court order banning all liquor shops and bars within 500-metre radius of highways from April 1.
While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader of House in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Shrinath Bhimale, has sent a letter to the municipal commissioner to request the state government to de-notify highways, city mayor Mukta Tilak not only welcomed the court's decision, but also wants to implement it within the city for the social cause.
De-notification of highways within the city limits has already been implemented in states like Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and the Union Territory of Chandigarh to earn a heavy purse that the local municipal bodies get from liquor shops, permit rooms and bars, besides saving jobs of hundreds of people engaged in the business.
However, in Pune, the rift within the ruling dispensation on this issue has apparently halted the efforts to de-notify highways within the PMC jurisdiction.
Two days after the apex court order was implemented by the state excise department officials, Bhimale has shot off the letter to avoid PMC's revenue loss as well as controlling large-scale unemployment created by the verdict. Bhimale told Mirror, "Actually, the municipal commissioner had made a draft proposal but it did not clearly mention a purpose. We have made another draft. But the commissioner is not in town so we could not send it to the state government through him. We will send the proposal with the commissioner's signature on Wednesday. We will face revenue loss from liquor vendors which we are getting in the form of LBT. Also, there are chances of large-scale unemployment after implementation of the order."
But mayor Tilak did not support her leader of the House. She said, "I don't think we are getting much revenue from liquor vendors in the form of LBT. There is no need to de-notify highways. Liquor ban is a social decision of the Supreme Court and we should welcome and implement it."
Dyneshwar Molak, assistant municipal commissioner, LBT, juxtaposed Tilak's claim, as he said, "We are getting Rs 3.50 crore of revenue per month from LBT. Now, it is up to the state government to take a decision on the denotification of highways. It is not the corporation's prerogative."
However, several corporators and senior leaders of other political parties also supported the mayor. Siddharth Dhende, senior corporator of Repulican Party of India (RPI) which is also part of the BJP-led NDA, said, "The corporation should not take part in the de-notification process. We should stick to the Supreme Court order for a larger social cause. For jobs of a few people and loss of revenue, the PMC should not approach the state government for de-notification of highways."
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Chetan Tupe also criticised the BJP's decision, saying, "The court has taken the decision keeping consequences of liquor consumption off highways. We should respect it. It is not good to find escape routes to implement it. Such demands show that they (BJP) don't care about people's health." Aba Bagul, senior Congress corporator, said, "For a few crores of revenue, the BJP should not do that. People have given power to the BJP for development and prosperity; they are trying to destroy people's faith in them."
Pune is located at the convergence of national highways such as NH-4 leading to Mumbai on the north and Bangalore on the south and NH-9 to Solapur. There are four state highways passing through Pune — SH-27 connects to Ahmednagar, SH-60 to Kolad, SH-64 to Saswad, SH-57 to Pirangut. In addition, the westerly bypass connects the Pune-Satara Road (NH-4) on the south to Mumbai-Pune (NH-4) on the North. The PMC is internally well-connected through an extensive road network comprising 11 major intra-city roads. Hadapsar, Shivajinagar, Katraj, Warje, Upper Kondhwa, Dhanakawadi, Balajinagar, Ambegaon, Kothrud, Baner, Bavdhan, Aundh, Yerwada, Kharadi, Ramwadi, some parts of Kalyani Nagar, Chandan Nagar, Viman Nagar are some areas connected to national and state highways.
The municipal commissioner had made a draft proposal but it did not clearly mention apurpose. We have made another draft — BJP leader Shrinath Bhimale
I don't think we are getting much revenue from liquor vendors in the form of LBT. There is no need to de-notify highways
- Mukta Tilak, mayor
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