Another PMC panel head demands official vehicle

The civic body also appoints committees for each ward office and there are 15 ward committees in PMC. The chairman of the 15 ward committees have already managed to get official vehicles for themselves,saying they have to visit their ward offices.

Recently,the demand for a vehicle for chairperson of sports committee was met by the civic administration. Now,a similar demand has come up for chairperson of naming committee which would take the number of elected representatives using the PMC vehicle to 24.

In a proposal tabled before the standing committee,Congress leader Arvind Shinde and NCP leader Subhash Jagtap said,”The PMC provides vehicles along with drivers to chairpersons of various committees. The facility has also been made available to newly formed sports committee. Therefore,the same should be given to the chairperson of naming committee.”

“Office-bearers have to visit city as a part of their responsibility… this should only be done through the official vehicle,” said Jagtap. The vehicles are not misused by office bearers,he said,adding that his wife refused to avail of the facility despite getting elected as chairperson of a ward committee.

Former mayor and NCP spokesperson Ankush Kakade has reservations on the way corporators are using the civic facility. “In the past,the facility of a vehicle and a driver was available only for select office bearers,including mayor and deputy mayor. The situation has changed now and everyone seems to be interested in getting an official vehicle,” he said.

Chairpersons of all the committee do not need to move out of office for official work,Kakade said,”They have to take decisions on proposals tabled by civic administration or elected representatives which does not involve moving in the city.”

According to civic officials,they have no other option but to follow the decisions taken by elected representatives. “We are aware that the use of official vehicle is hardly required by chairperson of some committees but we cannot refuse if they are allotted by the general body,” they said,adding that there was also a provision of paying Rs 17,000 per month to whoever refuses to avail the facility of vehicle and driver.

Incidentally,it was observed that office bearers used the vehicle to move around the city and flaunt their status. “They also used the vehicles outside their jurisdictions despite restrictions. The PMC charges Rs 8 per km for the use of vehicles outside city limits but elected representatives do not pay attention to it,” he said,adding that the civic body had to pay Rs 3.5 lakh for an office-bearer when he used the vehicle for official purpose despite being denied the permission.

The civic body is forced to purchase vehicles for office-bearers and last year it had bought 10 cars for Rs 5.5 lakh.