Under opposition attack, Chahal defends move to offer office to Lodha at BMC HQ

The office of Mumbai's guardian minister, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, has been opened to the public, causing controversy ahead of the civic elections. Former BJP corporators have been assigned slots to sit in the office and hear public grievances, drawing criticism from opposition parties. Municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal defended the move, stating that Lodha's intention was to reach citizens through former corporators. Chahal also mentioned that the government had started an initiative to bring government services to citizens' doorsteps. The decision to allow the guardian minister an office at the civic headquarters has been questioned, but Chahal stated that he had to follow written instructions from the government.

The corridors at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters were abuzz with activity on Monday as the office of guardian minister Mangal Prabhat Lodha was thrown open to the public.

Under opposition attack, Chahal defends move to offer office to Lodha at BMC HQ

But what set tongues wagging was when former group leader Prabhakar Shinde issued a weekly rota for 72 former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporators to visit the headquarters in two slots - 11am to 2pm and 2pm to 6pm - from Mondays to Fridays and sit in Lodha’s office to hear public grievances. It is learnt that Lodha’s intention is to reach citizens through former BJP corporators.

With civic elections around the corner, and since municipal commissioner and administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal had on December 28 sealed all party offices after the two Shiv Sena factions sparred over office space, the move in favour of the guardian minister has not gone down well with the opposition parties.

Speaking to HT, Chahal said the government had started a ‘Shaasan Applya Daari’ (government at your doorstep) initiative for which both chief minister Eknath Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis had been travelling to Nashik, Kolhapur, Thane, Aurangabad and many other parts of the state.

“Their intention is to go to every district in Maharashtra. On parallel lines, guardian minister Lodha decided to do ‘Shaasan Applya Daari’ in Mumbai. He wrote to me last month that he would like to come to BMC twice a week at 4pm and hear public grievances as it was difficult for citizens to come to Mantralaya and wait for hours for passes. He said if the CM was going to all 32 districts, he would start this practice at the BMC headquarters,” he said.

Lodha, according to Chahal, said even though the urban district was his constituency, 80% of people who come to visit him live near the civic headquarters. “Lodhaji requested me to offer him an office space.”

Chahal added that Lodha wants the former corporators to bring 50-100 citizens to his office every day.

When asked if it was unfair to other political parties whose offices were shut, Chahal said he couldn’t refuse written instructions from the government, “The party offices are still shut. The guardian minister passed an order in writing.”

To a question about how never in the history of the corporation has a guardian minister been allowed to open an office at the civic headquarters, Chahal retorted, “But never in the history has any government announced this scheme of having government at your doorstep either.”

When he was told about the weekly rota prepared for former BJP corporators, Chahal claimed he was not privy to that information.

Prabhakar Shinde, BJP’s former group leader, said the office is for the guardian minister and former corporators are also citizens of Mumbai. “Nobody has stopped former corporators from other parties to visit as he is the guardian minister for everyone. They can come here with people’s issues and get them resolved.”

Shinde said Monday was the first day for redressal of citizens’ grievances. “Lodhaji gave a hearing to citizens and issued letters and even talked to a few officers.”

“We do not know when the civic elections will be held. This is like a junta darbar and anybody can approach him to get their issues addressed,” Shinde added.

Among other former BJP corporators present were Vinod Mishra and Bhalchandra Shirsat.

Ravi Raja, former Congress corporator and leader of opposition in the BMC, said, “Why should we meet Lodha? What is important here is that the civic chief should go by the BMC Act. It is not mentioned anywhere that an office space can be given to the guardian minister.”

Raja said the government might even demand in future that the chief secretary get an office at the civic headquarters.

“Will Chahal agree to such an absurd demand? Only corporators who are elected and those elected by the statutory committees like chairman of the standing committee, mayor and deputy mayor can have their offices. But nowhere in the Act is it mentioned that anyone from the government can have their office in the BMC. Chahal has become helpless and is now the tool of the government.”

Raja said this initiative isn’t the government at citizens’ doorstep, but it is in fact the government at BMC’s doorstep. “The autonomy of the BMC has been taken away by the government.”