PIL filed after tenfold hike in Thane pool fee

A member of a municipal swimming pool in Thane has approached the Bombay high court with a public interest litigation (PIL) against the exorbitant fee being charged to renew membership.

Uma A. Salaye has filed a PIL alleging that Ganseshanand Developer who looks after a Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) swimming pool had increased the membership fee from Rs 7,500 per person to Rs 80,000 per member in 2015. The PIL also alleged that this fee was much higher than the standard rates for other swimming pools in the locality. The PIL also stated that the new management, in 2015, had sought to turn the entire premises into a private club, and demanded a fee of Rs 80,000 for its membership.

Meanwhile, the civic body of Thane has said that the membership fee charged by the contractor for the municipal pool was much higher than the standard rates and violated its regulations.

According to an affidavit filed this week by the deputy municipal commissioner of Thane city, Sanjay Herwade, the civic body last year had asked Ganeshanand Developers, which is running the pool through sub-contractors, to explain the unauthorised increase in membership fee. “Membership fees are required to be fixed with the approval of the corporation,” the affidavit stated. It further stated that after the TMC sought clarification, the contractor (Ganeshanand Developers) had agreed to give membership for Rs 10,000 per year per person.

“The corporation had not granted permission for any increase in the membership fees, but “temporarily” allowed the contractor to charge Rs 10,000 per person annually till the final decision was taken.

“Therefore the respondent number 4 (the contractor) is not entitled to charge any amount exceeding Rs 10,000,” the Thane civic body’s affidavit stated.

The next hearing in the case will be held in the first week of September, said advocate Shankar Thorat.