Save city from terminal decline: 94 ex-corporators write to CM

94 former civic corporators, including former mayor Kishori Pednekar, have written to chief minister Eknath Shinde about fiscal mismanagement, lack of accountability and transparency in the BMC ever since the term of the city’s 227 corporators ended this March

Mumbai: 94 former civic corporators, including former mayor Kishori Pednekar, have written to chief minister Eknath Shinde about fiscal mismanagement, lack of accountability and transparency in the BMC ever since the term of the city’s 227 corporators ended this March.

Municipal chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said on a text message: “There is no lack of transparency as 100% resolutions pertaining to decisions taken by BMC are transparently available on BMC website for anybody’s scrutiny, without exception (since the tenure of administrator started wef. March 8, 2022). The financial position of the BMC is excellent. (HT Photo)

The elections to the country’s wealthiest civic body were scheduled this October but have been postponed on account of the issues of OBC reservations and delimitation of wards pending in the courts. Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal is now the sole administrator of the BMC and his writ runs unchallenged.

The 94 corporators from Sena, Congress, NCP, Samajwadi Party, MNS have in one voice now demanded that the CM should intervene and publish a white paper on some key decisions taken in these last few months to make the BMC’s financial transactions “transparent”.

Ravi Raja, leader of the opposition in the BMC, who is one of the signatories of Monday’s letter, told HT, “The BMC as an institution is bigger than any person but here the person (referring to Chahal) is becoming bigger than the institution.”

The letter sent to Shinde states that by the time the BMC polls are held next year, Chahal will have completed a year in office holding dual charge. Contracts and proposals worth thousands of crores have been awarded since March 2022 but not a single Draft Letter (DL) has been put up in public domain, it contends. “There is no way to find out which projects are being implemented and which contracts have been awarded to whom and at what cost? The BMC is being run on the whims and fancies of the administrator,” the letter continues.

The second serious issue flagged in the letter are the arbitrary transfers in the BMC which never happened in the past, and which disregard all established transfers norms. “Over the last 100 days since you have taken over as the CM, there have been close to two dozen transfers in the BMC, all ad-hoc, and in total violation of transfer norms. Random transfers are taking place on a daily basis, and there are cases where senior officers of the rank of DMC and (joint MC) have been transferred fortnightly. There are officers who have been shunted out 6-7 times in just three months and there are cases where transfer orders have been reversed or changed in less than 24 hours.”

The letter also alleges a “cash-for-transfer scam” in the BMC where top postings are being auctioned to the highest bidder on a rotational basis, and “with every higher bid, a new order is issued every fortnight. This has led to the total collapse of the civic administration of the city and civic governance, especially at a time when there are no corporators,” the letter states.

On the issue of financial mismanagement and fiscal indiscipline, the letter alleges that the civic budget has been disregarded, and is now a mere exercise on paper. “Subjects that weren’t even part of the budget speech are now getting over ₹6000 crore in allocation like the new tenders for constructing cement concrete roads. Many departments where allocation of money was made have been neglected, for instance, gardens in the city.” Calling out the policy paralysis, the 94 corporators say important policies like open spaces have not been cleared since 2017. “It seems that the administrator has had no interest in these policies which matter to citizens and the city.” The letter further says that the BMC’s famed Fixed Deposits (FDs), it’s currency chest in a manner of speaking, have been under duress. “Soon there will be a time when the BMC will have to raise money from the market by way of bonds”.

“It is sad to say that the financial decline of the BMC has begun (and it is) due to sheer financial mismanagement and lack of fiscal discipline over the last one year. Despite all these serious issues, the administrator is not accessible, and has been evasive on questions raised by us. He is acting in an authoritarian and undemocratic manner. It is unfair that the BMC has been left to be run by a handful of babus,” states the letter.

The former corporators have sought the CM’s intervention on a white paper on the issues they have raised before the BMC elections are announced. “Your government will be seen as responsible for the mess that the BMC has become. Keeping aside political differences, we are writing to you, at a time when we are greatly disturbed and upset at the state of affairs,” they conclude.

The 94 former corporators term their letter as an SOS call from men and women “who ardently love Mumbai and the BMC.”

When asked about the letter, this is what Municipal chief Iqbal Singh Chahal said on a text message: “There is no lack of transparency as 100% resolutions pertaining to decisions taken by BMC are transparently available on BMC website for anybody’s scrutiny, without exception (since the tenure of administrator started wef. March 8, 2022). The financial position of the BMC is excellent.

The financial reserves of the BMC have increased from ₹ 77,000 crore in 2020 to ₹ 87,000 crore as on today. There is no question of financial mismanagement or collapse.”