Maha govt asks BMC to grant exemption to Tendulkar

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Thursday asked Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Subodh Kumar to waive the penalty Sachin Tendulkar may have to pay for moving into his new house without obtaining an Occupation Certificate (OC).

Tendulkar moved into his newly-constructed bungalow in suburban Bandra yesterday, but he does not have the OC yet. Mayor Shraddha Jadhav (Shiv Sena) had said that there cannot be any exceptions to the rule, but textiles minister Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan, who is the guardian minister for Mumbai suburbs, said he spoke to Kumar this afternoon in this regard. "Sachin is an icon who has brought international laurels to the country. Subodh Kumar told me that he would examine the issue and act accordingly," Naseem Khan said. The minister said Sachin had complied with formalities for getting the OC. "Normally, one moves into a house after getting the OC. Here, he has submitted documents for the OC, but shifted into the new house without getting the certificate, which according to corporation officials attracts penalty. He should be exempted from penalty as a special case," the minister said. Meanwhile, sources in the Congress said that Sachin`s closeness to MNS chief Raj Thackeray might have earned him Shiv Sena`s wrath, and this might have led to the decision to levy penalty. PTI