BMC sees third administrative transfer in less than two months

There have been ad hoc transfers of assistant commissioners in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ever since the Eknath Shinde-led government came to power

There have been ad hoc transfers of assistant commissioners in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) ever since the Eknath Shinde-led government came to power.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation building HT Photo

In the third administrative reshuffle, Sharad Ughade, assistant commissioner of G South ward in Worli, was on Friday transferred to D ward in Malabar Hill-Nepeansea Road.

Ughade, to his credit, was involved in opening the NSCI Covid Centre in Worli, the constituency of former cabinet minister Aditya Thackeray.

Prashant Gaikwad, assistant commissioner of D ward, has been transferred to the estate department in BMC headquarters. Both Gaikwad and Ughade will take charge after Ganesh immersions on September 9.

A civic official called Ughade’s transfer an administrative decision and said that he was due for a transfer as he along with Gaikwad had completed their three-year term.

G South ward will now be headed by assistant commissioner Santosh Kumar Dhonde. Rajesh Akre, who was the executive engineer of P South ward in Goregaon, will be the assistant commissioner of that ward.

On Thursday, municipal commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal transferred deputy municipal commissioner Harshad Kale to the central purchase department, replacing Ramakant Biradar.

The BMC had begun the reshuffle on July 4 with transfer of Kiran Dighavkar, a close associate of Aditya Thackeray, from G North ward in Dadar to E ward in Byculla.

But on August 12, an order was issued that Dighavkar was again shunted from E ward to P North ward in Malad.

The planning department which he had headed was responsible for taking up several projects under the BMC’s Tactical Urbanism initiative.

This department has now been given to Prashant Sapkale, assistant commissioner of G North ward comprising Mahim, Dadar and Dharavi.