DNA : ACB unearths photo pass scam : Aug 10, 2007

ACB unearths photo pass scam
Renni Abraham

with the arrest of a suspended official of the maharashtra housing and area
development authority (mhada) while allegedly accepting bribe, the anti
corruption bureau unearthed a scam, where migrants into the city after 1995
were issued photo passes.

the year 1995 has been stipulated by the state government as the cut-off
date for free houses under the slum redevelopment authority (sra) scheme. a
suspended mhada official balasaheb bapurao more, 40, deputy social
development officer of mhada, was arrested on july 26, 2007, for allegedly
demanding a bribe of rs1,20,000 for issuing a 'photo-pass' to a resident of
the bharat nagar slum located in the bandra kurla complex.

"for thousands of migrants into mumbai city who arrived after the cut off
date of january 1, 1995, set by the government, more and others like him
were like a one-stop shop for procuring the crucial government document for
a free home. we recovered three stamps from more who was in fact under
suspension for the last three years after being caught for the same crime in
another case. even as a departmental enquiry is underway against him he
simply continued issuing photo-passes to all and sundry as long as they paid
him bribe," a senior acb official told dna.


Publication : DNA; Section : mumbai; Pg : 5; Date : 10/8/07
URL :
http://digital.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?edorsup=Main&queryed=9&querypage=5&boxid=30771348&parentid=45863&eddate=08/10/2007