PCMC completes a year without corporators; parties, activists call for early elections

On March 13 last year, after the five-year term of corporators came to an end, the state government had announced that then Municipal Commissoner Rajesh Patil will continue to function as the administrator of the PCMC. Patil went on to serve as an administrator for four months. After the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government took over in June, Shekhar Singh, who was the district collector of Satara, was appointed the PCMC administrator on August 16, 2022.

With the appointment of the administrator, the civic general body, where policy decisions are taken after debate among corporators, was dissolved. The standing committee, the most powerful financial body which decides the fate of big ticket projects, is now presided over by the administrator with officials serving as members.

While a number of decisions have been taken under Singh’s administration such as giving approval to projects worth Rs 338 crore to cleanliness contractor, consent to construction of new PCMC building (Rs 286 crore), green signal to internet cable work and setting up of 500-bed hospital in Moshi, political parties, especially from the Opposition, are not happy.

Said Ajit Gavahane, president of Pimpri-Chinchwad unit of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP): “The administration is completely cut off from the people. Citizens have no clue as to whom to call to address their grievances regarding basic amenities…Roads are in bad shape, traffic congestion problem is growing, water shortage continues to persist.”

The manner in which PCMC administration has approved contracts has also come under fire. “It has been noticed that the PCMC administration is awarding contracts without following the mandatory tendering process. We smell corruption in this kind of functioning. And despite our opposition, PCMC administration has gone ahead and awarded the internet cable contract to a tainted firm,” Gavahane alleged, adding only elected corporators can provide justice to citizens. “Citizen’s problems are aggressively put forth by corporators in the civic general body meeting. When the body itself is not in existence, who will hear the citizens’ voice? Officers either do not respond to phone calls or just ignore them,” he said.

Kailas Kadam, president, Pimpri-Chinchwad Congress, said citizens have been badly hit in the absence of corporators. “Citizens are increasingly finding it difficult to get their complaints resolved…The voice of the people is not reaching the ears of the administration. Had corporators been elected, they would have effectively raised their voice in the civic general body meeting and forced the administration to take corrective steps,” Kadam said.

“A corporator is in a position to tell the administration what project is required in their ward. Officials…are clueless. And therefore, new development projects are not coming up or are moving at slow pace,” he added.

Newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ashwini Jagtap said elections are a must in a democracy. “However, since issues like OBC reservation are pending in the Supreme Court, there has been a delay in holding the elections. The state government is taking all steps so that the court decides the matter early and elections too are held.”

Pimpri-Chinchwad BJP president Mahesh Landge said, “Elections are an integral part of our democracy. Elected corporators raise people’s problems in civic general body and seek justice for them. Without people’s representatives, citizens’ voices remain unheard…” Civic activists in the city echo the views of political leaders.

“In last one year, the performance of civic administration has not been satisfactory. Corporators are accountable to the citizens. If citizens complaint to them, they take up their problems with the civic administration and try to get redressal. But in case of officials, they have no loyalty with the city and citizens. Their loyalty lies with the state government,” said activist Manav Kamble.

Another activist, Lahoo Landge, said, “Currently, the citizens are facing problem in getting their complaints regarding basic amenities resolved…Officials do not take round of suburbs to take first hand stock of the situation.”

Activist Sachin Godambe said, “I have been complaining to the PCMC and the state government about the dangerous state of speed-breakers but it refuses to set them right.”