Upset by remark, Nagpur civic chief back at general body meet

The civic chief refused to return even after a request from the mayor. After Shiv Sena corporators Mangla Gawre and Nitin Sathavne raised objections to the way Mundhe was functioning as civic chief, Congress corporator Sanjay Mahakalkar wanted to table a no-confidence motion which was rejected by Joshi who then adjourned the civic house till Tuesday.

Nagpur civic commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, who hadwalked out of a general body meeting of the municipal corporation after a Congress corporator made a statement centred around his name, attended the meet on Tuesday after it reconvened. The IAS officer attended the general body meeting of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) and patiently listened to corporators who took part in a discussion on an adjournment motion moved last week.

His reply to the adjournment is expected on Wednesday. Mayor Sandip Joshi, on behalf of the house, had written a letter to Mundhe, requesting him to attend the meeting.

On Saturday,Congress corporator Harish Gwalbanshi questioned Mundhe over his decision allowing setting up of a COVID care centre in his ward on a plot reserved for some other work. While opposing the move, Gwalbanshi said Mundhe behaved like an "autocrat" who did not listen to people or elected representatives.

This does not suit a person who shareshis first name with a revered saint, the Congress corporator said, taking a swipe at the senior bureaucrat. Mundhe objected to the statement and left the meeting in a huff. The civic chief refused to return even after a request from the mayor.

After Shiv Sena corporators Mangla Gawre and Nitin Sathavne raised objections to the way Mundhe was functioning as civic chief, Congress corporator Sanjay Mahakalkar wanted to table a no-confidence motion which was rejected by Joshi who then adjourned the civic house till Tuesday. On Tuesday, Gwalbanshi said his comment was taken out of context.

Gwalbanshi recalled that when Mundhe had joined as the Nagpur civic chief, he (Gwalbanshi), during a felicitation programme, had praised him by his name. "He had not objected to my praise that time, but he objected to it when I said about his name in other way this time," Gwalbanshi said.

Subsequently, the one of the two adjournment motions, moved bycorporators Mangla Gawre and Nitin Sathavne, could not be withdrawn for procedural reasons. The other one, moved by corporator Nitin Sathavne, was discussed. During the discussion, it was demanded that an FIR against Sathavne lodged by Mundhe be withdrawn.

The FIR was lodged in connection with Sathavne's protest over shifting of residents of a COVID-19 hotspot in his civic ward to a quarantine centre. At the meeting, corporators shared difficulties faced by them and asked Mundhe to listen to their requests and work together.

Meanwhile, workers of the Youth Congress, AAP, Yuva Sena andPrahaar Sanghatan (Bacchu Kadu) staged a protest and shouted slogans in support of Mundhe outside the venue of the general body meeting..

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)