AFTER 15 months, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) is all set to hold its first offline civic general body (GB) meeting on June 18. It will be the first in-person meeting of corporators after the state banned such meetings last year during the lockdown phase. The decision to hold the meeting was taken after the state relaxed Covid curbs and directed the civic bodies to hold GB meetings. The PCMC meeting will be held with 50 percent attendance. However, the administration said no decision has been taken whether only vaccinated corporators would be allowed to attend it or Covid test would be made mandatory for corporators ahead of the meeting. “The state has allowed the PCMC and other civic bodies to hold in-person general body meetings. The government has allowed 50 percent presence of corporators,” said PCMC Additional Municipal Commissioner Ulhas Jagtap, who is also the municipal secretary. Following the state’s directives, Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Patil issued an order to hold the GB meeting with 50 percent attendance. Jagtap said, “Though the civic chief’s order does not mention anything about vaccination and Covid test of corporators, Standing Committee Chairman Nitin Landge has written to the commissioner, seeking all civic meetings to be held offline as the corporators have received both the vaccine doses.” Another Additional Municipal Commissioner Vikas Dakhane said, “As for tests and vaccination, we will discuss it with the House leaders and the mayor and decide accordingly.” Patil said they have not yet taken any decision whether Covid tests should be made mandatory for the corporators or they should get themselves fully vaccinated ahead of the meeting. Jagtap said hereafter all civic meetings will be held offline with 50 percent attendance. He added that total 164 corporators can sit in the general body meeting hall at the PCMC headquarters. “We have 130 corporators, including five co-opted ones. Three corporators died in the past one year. But we have a seating capacity of 164. Therefore, at least 82 corporators will be allowed in the meeting hall,” he said. Generally, a GB meeting is held on day 20 every month. Since June 20 is a Sunday, the meeting has been pre-poned to June 18, officials said. Jagtap said mask and hand sanitisation will be mandatory for all attendees before entering the meeting hall. “The corporators will sit six-feet away from each other.” Jagtap said the House leaders of each party will decide who would attend the meeting this month or in the subsequent months till the latest government order regarding 50 percent attendance remains in force. “The mayor will write to the House leaders of each party to decide who will attend this month’s meeting,” he said. Shiv Sena Corporator Rahul Kalate said though the government had banned offline meetings, Mayor Usha Dhore used to be present in the GB meeting hall during such meetings. “Officials used to be present online. At least 30-40 corporators used to remain presence in the hall and watch the proceedings online,” he added. NCP Corporator Shyam Lande said, “During the online meetings, too many glitches cropped up. It was difficult to catch up with what was going on. We could not make out which bill was being placed and what resolutions were approved of. We could not make out who was speaking as the audio was of poor quality.” - Stay updated with the latest Pune news. Follow Express Pune on Twitter here and on Facebook here. You can also join our Express Pune Telegram channel here.
