E-Paper
?Connections? save errant IMC official
AT LEAST three Mayor-in-Council (MiC) members have lodged complaints ranging from dereliction of duty to insubordination against him.
AT LEAST three Mayor-in-Council (MiC) members have lodged complaints ranging from dereliction of duty to insubordination against him.
Both Mayor Uma Shashi Sharma and Municipal Commissioner Vinod Sharma have ordered his suspension. And yet, no punitive action has been taken against the accused, Health Officer Dr K S Verma, so far.
Ordinarily, an official is suspended, at the most, within 24 hours of the Commissioner’s orders. But in Dr Verma’s case no action has been taken even after four days.
So what’s causing the delay? IMC watchers say the physician has his finger on the pulse of a senior General Administration Department (GAD) official.
“And this has helped him escape punishment,” charged a senior corporator. It may be recalled that Munnalal Yadav and Shanta Jhanwar, in-charge of Waterworks and Market Departments respectively, complained to the Mayor about Dr Verma’s intransigent attitude during the MiC meet on Wednesday.
The duo, along with Lal Bahadur Verma, charged that the Health Officer repeatedly turned a deaf ear to requests for garbage collection vehicles and deployment of sanitation staffers in their wards.
After listening to the complaints, the Mayor directed Municipal Commissioner Vinod Sharma to take action against the errant official. The latter issued a suspension order against Dr Verma the same day and the missive was forwarded to the GAD Department.
However, instead of carrying out the Commissioner’s directives the General Administration Department has been sitting on the suspension orders.
When contacted over the phone, Additional Municipal Commissioner (GAD) Kumar Purshottam pleaded inability to comment on the matter as he was out of station. “I’m in Jabalpur to attend a seminar on e-Governance and will be able to say something only upon returning to Indore,” declared the officer.
