MEHTA’S RECENT DECISIONS

Critics say Ajoy Mehta is taking important decisions without consulting municipal forums, and is directly reporting to CM.Nearly two months after Ajoy Mehta was appointed as the new municipal commissioner, corporators from across party lines have accused him of taking key decisions without their counsel or knowledge and reporting directly to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.They claimed that the findings of the inquiry into the recent Kalbadevi building fire and the proposal for a coastal road were not discussed in any BMC forum and were directly made public at Fadnavis’ insistence.Mehta, critics said, made two appointments — the head of BMC’s public relations and officer on special deputation in the solid waste management department — without informing the civic General Body.The Standing Committee, the BMC’s top decision-making body, is also losing its prominence with Mehta not consulting it on policy changes like transferring money to the accounts of municipal-school students for buying stationery and uniform. Earlier, the civic body used to provide the materials to students.“This is nothing but dictatorship. The BMC administration must keep corporators informed,” said Congress corporator Devendra Amberkar.The issue of sidelining of corporators and greater involvement of the chief minister’s office in the BMC’s affairs came up in the Standing Committee’s meeting on Wednesday.Sandeep Deshpande, the MNS group Leader in the BMC, said at the meeting that BJP veteran Advani may have warned of an emergency-like situation in the country, but “the civic body was already such a situation”.Shiv Sena’s Yashodhar Phanse, who heads the committee, said at the meeting that the members cannot allow anyone to bypass the panel. “If the committee is not kept in the loop, then it’s an insult. We should be informed about important issues and will not tolerate such instances,” Phanse said, referring to the student cash transfer scheme.Mehta, an IAS officer of the 1984 batch, took over as the municipal commissioner from Sitaram Kunte in April. He had earlier served several top positions in the state administration and is known for making quick decisions.As the managing director of Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, he drastically improved power distribution and cracked down on big power consumers with arrears. His recovery approach was implemented in over half a dozen states.As the environment secretary, Mehta cleared a backlog of applications for various projects in just three months. The applications had been pending for over three years.His backers say he has been equally effective as the BMC chief. Last week, he visited flooded spots in the city to supervise the clearance work and has also fast-tracked projects.“Mehta has taken good decisions, but he has not consulted any BMC forum over the steps. Even Hitler took popular decisions in the beginning, but later turned dictatorial,” Deshpande said, adding that Mehta had made key appointments without informing corporators.The appointment of Ram Dotonde as the head of the BMC’s public relations without any municipal forum’s counsel has even riled BJP members.“The BMC administration should make it clear who is going to pay his salary. Is the municipal commissioner going to pay it from his own pocket?” said Manoj Kotak, the BJP group leader. “Mehta should have placed the appointment proposal before the Standing Committee.”Rais Shaikh, the Samajwadi Party group leader, said that many members learned about the cash transfer scheme from the media. “Everything happens off the record in the BMC now. So what we are here for?” he said.“I don’t know who is ruling the BMC, is it Shiv Sena corporators or the BMC administration?”Sena corporators have criticised Fadnavis’ increasing “interference” in the civic body’s affairs. Last week, Fadnavis was the first top leader to reach the BMC’s Disaster Management Unit following heavy rains. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and his son, Aditya, made a visit later that day.A senior BMC official, meanwhile, said Mehta was well within his powers to take key decisions. “The Standing Committee looks into only financial matters. It will be informed when monetary transactions are made. Even the appointments proposals will be tabled before it,” the official said. “The decisions taken by Mehta will improve performance and bring in transparency in the BMC.”Appointing Ram Dotonde as head of BMC’s public relations without General Body’s approvalAppointing Sanjog Kabre as officer on special deputation in the solid waste management department without informing General BodyMaking public the Kalbadevi fire inquiry report without tabling it before a BMC forumOrdering cash transfers for students of BMC schools so they can buy stationery and uniformsMaking public the ‘Coastal Road Detailed Project Report’ before presenting it to corporators