ECI puts its foot down, orders BMC chief Chahal’s transfer

BMC Commissioner I S Chahal to be transferred to ECI after rejection by Maharashtra govt, ECI seeks compliance report. New appointments to be sent for approval.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner I S Chahal, who has served as chief of the civic body for nearly four years , will finally be transferred as the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Monday once again turned down the state government’s request to allow Chahal to continue. Maharashtra chief electoral officer S Chokalimgam confirmed the development.

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The directive comes more than a fortnight after the commission first rejected the Maharashtra government’s request to allow Chahal to continue so that Mumbai’s preparations for the monsoon after not impacted. In its letter sent to chief secretary Nitin Kareer, the poll panel expressed its displeasure over the state government’s dilly-dallying and sought a compliance report by Tuesday evening. HT has seen a copy of the letter.

When contacted, Chahal, who was in Delhi for a Supreme Court hearing, said, “I am an army officer’s son. I am a disciplined person. I have been hearing on social media about the ECI orders. I have not got anything in writing from the state. When I get a directive from the state, I will comply.’’

There was no official reaction from the government till late on Monday, but officials said the general administration department, headed by Shinde, will send the names for replacement of Chahal, other additional commissioners of the BMC, and commissioners of other corporations for the ECI’s approval.

The ECI had on February 22 asked the state to transfer all municipal commissioners and additional commissioners who had completed three years in their current posts and those posted in their home districts. Accordingly, Chahal along with additional commissioners Ashwini Bhide and P Velrasu were due for new roles.

Since the chief minister did not want to transfer the commissioners, the state, last month, sent a letter to the poll panel through Chokalimgam seeking to exempt these officers because works related to monsoon would be affected without their presence. After this request was rejected, the state government once again sent another letter last week.

According to officials at Mantralaya, additional chief secretary Bhushan Gagrani, who heads the CM secretariat, is one of the candidates for the municipal commissioner’s post.

The opposition came down heavily on the Shinde government, calling it a corrupt regime.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray said, “It is a disgrace how he (Chahal) had to be shunted eventually and proves how close he was to the corrupt regime. We will soon investigate his corruption when we return to power. However, I hope he will not be posted in the chief minister’s office or in one of the central ministries in Delhi, considering his high qualifications for aiding corruption. If this regime lasts beyond the Lok Sabha elections, he may be brought in as MC (municipal commissioner) to loot the city.”

Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad said the government has a lot to answer. “The ECI had first asked in February that these officers be transferred. Why did the CM-led general administration department ignore this directive? Why did the government pay no heed to the ECI’s repeated reminders in this regard? Why did it even ignore the concerns raised by us?”

The ECI must take suo motu cognisance and order a probe into all the contracts awarded and proposals cleared by Chahal in the last 30 days, she said and added until then, the implementation of these be stayed.

An IAS officer of 1989 batch, Chahal was appointed as municipal commissioner on May 8, 2020, during the Covid-19 epidemic, replacing Praveen Pardeshi. He was retained as the civic chief after Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government took over. He is set to retire in 2026.

Bhide was appointed as additional commissioner on May 9, 2020, and was later posted as managing director of Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation. But she continues to hold charge as the additional municipal commissioner for Mumbai eastern suburbs. She is an IAS officer of 1995 batch. Velarasu is the additional municipal commissioner in-charge of projects. He is an IAS officer of 2002 batch and has been with the BMC since January 17, 2020.

Mantralaya sources said a total of nine officers will be transferred. They include Thane civic chief Abhijit Bangar and Navi Mumbai commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, who have been serving in the same district for more than three years, and Kunal Khemnar, additional commissioner of Pune corporation, who was appointed on August 21, 2020.