Tukaram Mundhe has been granted one month’s time by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for expressing his point of view against the no- confidence motion.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has suspended the no-confidence motion passed against Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Chief Tukaram Mundhe and has granted him one month’s time for putting forward his point of view. Thus Mundhe can heave a sigh of relief atleast for the time being as he was fighting a lone battle against corruption prevailing in Navi Mumbai. The stalling of the no-confidence motion against Mundhe is seen as a huge setback for Shiv Sena and NCP as these parties had voted against him. Sena also was trying to gain an upper hand over its alliance partner BJP through this act. Earlier Fadnavis had refused to meet the all-party delegation seeking to remove the IAS officer from his post. Sena had said that Fadnavis must respect the decision taken by corporators against Mundhe. The chief minister had termed Mundhe as “very efficient” officer and said the state government cannot allow such resolutions to be implemented.
“Targeting an officer for doing his duty, exposing irregularities and preventing wrong happenings is absolutely wrong. Residents of Navi Mumbai still need him and state should support honest officials,” Fadnavis said.
Fadnavis has asked Mundhe to improve his communication skills with public representatives.
RTI activist Anil Galgali said, “If the Chief Minister comes forward to support honest officials like Tukaram Mundhe then it will send across a good message to citizens. It will help restore people’s faith in democracy.”
Mundhe had justified the action taken by him against illegal constructions in Navi Mumbai hence the CM had given him 30 days time to express his viewpoint. He also added that he will continue to work for the welfare of citizens.
Last week, the corporation controlled by NCP passed a no-confidence motion against Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe with a vote of 105-6 at a special meeting convened by the corporation that was chaired by Mayor Sudhakar Sonawane. This is perhaps the first time in the civic body’s history that such a motion has been passed against the commissioner. Political parties had also accused Mundhe of acting in an authoritarian manner, not respecting their elected representatives and taking arbitrary decisions. A delegation of corporators had met at Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray to pressurise Fadnavis for ousting Mundhe.
On the other hand, residents of Navi Mumbai have come forward in support of Mundhe as they posted messages expressing their solidarity for him. They have also started a campaign called ‘Save Tukaram Mundhe’ Citizens have lauded the good work performed by him such as taking action against illegal encroachments and hawkers.
Mundhe has been known for following transparency and accountability while discharging his duties. He had maintained a record of every letter received by the corporation and ensured that reply is sent to the citizens in a time bound manner. He is also known for being accessible to citizens and interacts with them in the evening.
