Appoint panel to probe lapses, Mayor directs civic administration

Following a row over the negligence of the Pune Municipal Corporation's during its general body meeting...

Following a row over the negligence of the Pune Municipal Corporation8217;s PMC during its general body meeting, including the recent incident of a fire breaking out at biomedical waste plant and impure water being provided to the residents of Uruli Devachi owing to the existence of a garbage depot in the area, Mayor Rajlaxmi Bhosale on Tuesday directed the civic administration to appoint a committee that will probe into these matters and take action against those found responsible for the lapses.

The issue of the health department8217;s disregard for health norms was also discussed during the general body meeting. BJP corporator Anil Shirole asked if the health department had undertaken any precautionary measures to stop the water from getting contaminated before a garbage depot was set up at the Uruli Devachi. PMC health chief Pramod Dhaigude replied that no measures had been taken before the garbage depot came up at the site. 8220;After we observed that the water quality is deteriorating due to the garbage depot, we started taking some measures,8221; Dhaigude said.

Regarding the issue of seven workers getting killed in the accident at the biomedical waste disposal plant, Shirole said, 8220;Despite the fact that seven workers lost their lives in the fire caught at the Kailash crematorium, the PMC has not yet suspended any health department official directly responsible for it.8221; Reiterating this view, NCP corporator Subhash Jagtap said the PMC had not filed a complaint against the contractor responsible for the irregularities.

According to BJP corporator Vikas Mathkari, 8220;The contractor of the incinerator had illegally constructed a godown and also piled up inflammable contents 8211; deodorant-spray. The PMC had constructed this Rs 1 crore plant, wherein the contractor was found bringing in spray-cans from Bhiwandi.

Therefore, PMC health chief should be held responsible for the incident.8221; Municipal Commissioner Praveensinh Pardeshi responded by saying that the PMC was taking a stepwise action in this case.

During the general body meeting, Congress corporators, including Arvind Shinde, Virendra Kirad, Avinash Salve and Siddharth Dhende demanded that the committee report on the school board irregularities, which was expected to be tabled by the civic administration during the GB, but had not been submitted yet.

BJP corpoator Ujwal Keskar said the Congress had no right to demand the report, as the party had never submitted any report on the irregularities of the school board, which happened during the Congress regime.