Pune civic body suspends assistant commissioner of Sinhagad Road ward office
Khalate’s suspension follows an investigation into his conduct during the flooding at Sinhagad Road on July 25 when municipal commissioner Bhosle found him neglecting his duties
Municipal commissioner Rajendra Bhosle has suspended assistant commissioner of the Sinhagad Road ward office, Sandeep Khalate, for inept handling of the flooding at Sinhagad Road on July 25. The municipal commissioner has also transferred deputy commissioner of Circle 3, Sanjay Shinde.
Khalate’s suspension follows an investigation into his conduct during the flooding at Sinhagad Road on July 25 when municipal commissioner Bhosle found him neglecting his duties. Bhosle told Hindustan Times, “During my visit to the inundated areas, I found that Khalate was not taking the proactive action he was supposed to take. His response was not up to the mark. We will assign responsibility to a more capable officer.”
Khalate is not permitted to leave the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) jurisdiction till such time the investigation is complete, PMC officials said. Namdev Bajbalkar, deputy engineer of the road department, has been given additional charge of the Sinhagad Road ward office.
Following the PMC action, civic activist Vivek Velankar said, “This is a face-saving exercise. These officers are scapegoats. Real action should be taken against the disaster management officials. The disaster management department is a dedicated department for the handling of such situations. Besides that, the PMC commissioner should have taken action against the building construction and development department which gave permission for construction in the riverbed.”
Meanwhile, the PMC is facing criticism for not taking timely action despite warning having been issued to the administration. Heavy rain began Wednesday night and intensified early Thursday. The disaster management department swung into action early on Thursday with collector Dr Suhas Diwase taking charge of the control room at around 3.30 am and alerting the relevant departments and instructing them to be prepared. However, the administration responded only later Thursday morning. The meteorological department has a dedicated WhatsApp group for weather updates comprising key civic officials. Despite receiving warnings on the group, the municipal authorities ignored them. As the water level rose in the Mutha River basin, citizens wondered whether civic officials were neglecting their duties. The emergency department of the PMC claimed it was issuing notices to residents and coordinating with the local corporator.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the PMC is facing criticism for not taking timely action despite warning having been issued to the administration. Heavy rain began Wednesday night and intensified early Thursday. The disaster management department swung into action early on Thursday with collector Dr Suhas Diwase taking charge of the control room at around 3.30 am and alerting the relevant departments and instructing them to be prepared. However, the administration responded only later Thursday morning. The meteorological department has a dedicated WhatsApp group for weather updates comprising key civic officials. Despite receiving warnings on the group, the municipal authorities ignored them. As the water level rose in the Mutha River basin, citizens wondered whether civic officials were neglecting their duties. The emergency department of the PMC claimed it was issuing notices to residents and coordinating with the local corporator.
{{/usCountry}}As water was released from the dam, it entered Ekta Nagari. The water resources department said that 35,000 cusecs water had been released however union minister for civil aviation Murlidhar Mohol claimed that 55,000 cusecs had been released after inspecting the flooded area. Mohol ordered an immediate inquiry, stating that poor coordination among departments had led to this situation. On its part, the water resources department said that a warning had been issued to the PMC.
Asit Dalal, a resident of Santai Society (Sinhagad Road), said, “We did not get any alert from the PMC or other officials. On Wednesday night, there was no water in the society. When we woke up in the morning, our basement was full of water. We couldn’t even step down. The PMC officials came at 9 am on Thursday and informed us that the water resources department had ordered a 40% release from the dam but that they had released 70% which is why this situation arose.”
“I don’t know who is right or wrong but people suffered and faced damage. Ground floor residents were hit hard, and their entire households were damaged. Now, they have to start from scratch,” Dalal said.
