By TCN Staff Reporter,
Mumbai: Maharashtra state minorities commission has written a letter to the state electricity board to probe the bills which termed Muslim dominated localities in Thane’s Nala Supara East area as ‘Chhota Pakistan,’ a term often used by right wing fanatics to describe Muslim slums.
After the regulation of infrastructure at Santoush Bhuvan slum, the residents of this Muslim dominated slum were receiving electricity bills from MSEB, terming their locality ‘Chhota Pakistan’.
Although this practice was going on since past 14 months, it came into light when local residents showed their electricity bills to government officials for Aadhar card enrollment. After the protest from the local politicians got momentum, local media carried the story and MSEB made an official apology and promised to remove the term from the power bills.
But Munaf Hakeem, minorities’ commission chairman has taken serious note of the issue and termed the use of ‘Chhota Pakistan’ a ‘serious lapse on the part of state owned MSEB’. In his letter, minorities’ commission chairman said, “This is a serious matter. Please inquire into it and inform the Commission about your findings. Let us know at what level did the directive to term the area as 'Chhota Pakistan' started.”
MSEB, on their part, has maintained that they were unaware of the inscription ‘Chhota Pakistan’ on the electricity bills of Muslim dominated localities, even though practice is being carried out by the Govt. board from last 14 months.
After the protest from Minorities commission MSEB has ordered Dinesh Saboo, superintendent engineer of Vasai circle, to probe and submit a report within 15 days on the origination of ‘Chhota Pakistan’.