BJP corporators protest work stoppage, Mundhe stands ground

Nagpur: Municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe on Tuesday clarified to the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party corporators that new works will not be taken up until Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s financial situation improved.
“I have seen NMC’s budget targets of last five years set by both municipal commissioners and standing committee. Every year there has been a deficit of at least 20% revenue of standing committee’s budget target,” Mundhe claimed while interacting with BJP corporators led by ruling party leader Sandip Jadhav.
Corporators from ruling BJP comprising former mayors Pravin Datke, Nanda Jichkar, standing committee ex-chairmen Dayashankar Tiwari, Narendra Borkar, Chetna Tank, Ravindra Bhoyar, Sangita Girhe, Varsha Thakre, Divya Dhurde among others were present.
“I have also stopped all works, whether work orders for them were issued or not. No money, no work. Don’t carry out unnecessary works,” the commissioner reiterated his statement made during the recently held special general body meeting. BJP corporators met the municipal commissioner over stopping of many development works.
Tiwari pointed out bhoomipujan of many sanctioned works had already performed and if the works were halted, the corporators will face citizens’ wrath. Corporators and chairmen of various consultative committees should have been taken into confidence before halting works, the agitated corporators said.
Datke said, “It is injustice to the citizens if development works are stopped citing non-payment of contributions of provident fund and income tax. It is nothing but poor governance by the administration.”
Tiwari said, “It doesn’t matter who is the commissioner, the chair is important. When LBT was introduced, the financial condition of NMC was not good. Despite this, the then civic chief assured no development work will be stopped.”
Earlier, the ruling party leader Sandip Jadhav said: “There are 112 BJP corporators and each represents at least 60,000 citizens. It is completely unjust that the civic chief allotted only 15 minutes to meet them.” He also expressed anguish that security guards prevented corporators from entering commissioner’s cabin.
Senior corporators, former and current chairmen of various committees were present but no sitting arrangements was made. It is an insult of citizens, a miffed Jadhav said.
Commissioner defended himself stating chairs were not sufficient to accommodate such a big delegation. He said he did not expect so many corporators coming to meet him. “Usually a delegation of four or five people meet me,” he said. This also angered the corporators. They said that if civic chief had wished he could have arranged chairs for 30 corporators.
Corporators maintained Mundhe should patiently listen to all of them. They also objected to Mundhe’s practice of not sparing time for corporators and demanded he should fix at least one hour a day to meet them.
“If you had spared time for corporators then there would have been no reason for today’s meeting,” Tiwari told Mundhe, adding, “Keep communicating with corporators or there will be miscommunication.”