Panvel civic chief gets post back months after Ulhasnagar transfer

Mumbai city news: Sudhakar Shinde’s appointment comes at a time Panvel’s residents started campaigning, both online and off it, to bring him back

Two-and-a-half months after Panvel’s first municipal commissioner was abruptly transferred, the state gave him his posting back.

Sudhakar Shinde after taking charge as Panvel’s first municipal commissioner on Thursday. (Bachchan Kumar)

In an order issued on Tuesday, the state said Sudhakar Shinde will take charge of the of Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

Shinde’s appointment comes at a time Panvel’s residents started campaigning, both online and off it, to bring him back.

There were similar pleas in nearby Ulhasnagar, whose civic chief Rajendra Nimbalkar had replaced Shinde. The state has not said where Nimbalkar will be posted.

The two officers were transferred in March, ahead of the PCMC election. Sources said Shinde, an IRS officer of the 2007 batch, was transferred after just 5 ½ months in office on the instructions of the election commission, as he is the brother of Maharashtra’s water conservation minister Ram Shinde.

The sources said his presence during an election could have sparked controversy.

There were also allegations by the opposition that local BJP leaders asked for his transfer, as his actions affected their interests. But the leaders had vehemently denied this.

In the few months Shinde was at the helm, he cleared encroachments and illegal constructions, improved the area’s cleanliness and cracked down on the violation of civic norms.

Residents said his was a no-nonsense tenure and that this changed the face of the region.

Shinde said, “I am here again owing to the love and efforts of the people of Panvel. It feels good to be back. I will continue my efforts to make Panvel a clean, beautiful and smart city.”