Mumbai: Ulhasnagar municipal commissioner transferred as Panvel civic body chief

Sameer Unhale is tipped to take charge on Wednesday.

Sudhakar Deshmukh, the municipal commissioner of Ulhasnagar, was transferred as Panvel civic body chief on Wednesday, and Thane additional commissioner Sameer Unhale has been named as his replacement amid the Maharashtra government’s concerted bid to effect administrative reshuffle to contain the spread of the raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.

Ulhasnagar has reported a spike in Covid-19 positive cases and the tally stands at 137. (HT photo/ Satyabrata Tripathy)

Unhale is tipped to take charge on Wednesday.

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“The commissioner was transferred on Wednesday. The new commissioner is likely to join on Wednesday. The transfer is a routine one and is a part of the state government’s ongoing measures to fight the pandemic,” said Yuvraj Badhane, public relations officer, Ulhasnagar Municipal Corporation.

Ulhasnagar has reported a spike in Covid-19 positive cases and the tally stands at 137. At least nine people got infected with SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease, last Friday after attending the funeral of a 50-year-old man, who had tested Covid-19 positive.

Deshmukh’s removal comes days after the state government removed Praveen Pardeshi as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner and IS Chahal was appointed as his replacement on May 8 amid growing criticisms of the country’s richest civic body’s failure to prevent the spread of Covid-19 in Mumbai that has emerged as a hotspot.