PMC chief, elected members at loggerheads over finance committee

The committee, chaired by the commissioner, comprises heads of various civic departments and reviews tenders and major project proposals

Municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on Monday ruled out scrapping the Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) finance committee, taking a firm stand despite opposition from elected members across party lines.

The demand to dissolve the committee has been building since last month. (FILE)

The committee, chaired by the commissioner, comprises heads of various civic departments and reviews tenders and major project proposals. Elected representatives are not part of the panel—a key point of contention for corporators who argue that such oversight should rest with them now that the elected body is in place.

The demand to dissolve the committee has been building since last month, when corporators first raised objections, calling it a remnant of the administrator-led regime. In response, the civic administration had constituted a separate panel under additional commissioner Prithviraj BP to examine the issue. However, with his subsequent transfer, no report has been submitted.

The issue resurfaced during Monday’s general body meeting, with members from multiple parties reiterating their demand.

Prithviraj Sutar, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said the committee had outlived its relevance. “It was needed during the administrator’s tenure. Now that elected representatives are back, there is no need for such a mechanism,” he said.

Echoing the concern, BJP leader Dheeraj Ghate said the panel was slowing down development work. “This committee has become a hurdle and delays proposals,” he said.

Responding to the criticism, Ram made it clear that the administration would not back down, citing that PMC needs to judiciously use its finances in favour of the public.

“The revenue committee will continue. Even if it is scrapped, we will constitute a similar mechanism under a different name,” Ram said.

The commissioner justified the need for such a panel, citing the civic body’s financial constraints. “Though the PMC’s budget is over ₹16,000 crore, the actual revenue stands at around ₹9,000 crore. To strengthen the income side and prioritise expenditure, a mechanism like this is necessary,” he said.

With the standoff between the administration and corporators coming to the fore, mayor Manjusha Nagpure stepped in to defuse tensions. She suggested that key stakeholders—including the leader of the house, the standing committee chairperson and leaders from all parties—hold a meeting with the administration to resolve the issue instead of prolonging the confrontation in the general body.

The disagreement has once again highlighted the continuing friction between the elected wing and the civic administration over control of financial and administrative decision-making in the PMC.