Arun Bhatia voted out

MUMBAI/PUNE, JUNE 9: Within hours of the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC passing a recall motion' against Commissioner Arun Bhatia, the...

MUMBAI/PUNE, JUNE 9: Within hours of the Pune Municipal Corporation PMC passing a recall motion8217; against Commissioner Arun Bhatia, the Maharashtra Government swung into action, transferring him to the Department of Archives in Mumbai.

Bhatia has been appointed Director, Archives 8212; considered one of the most insignificant posts in the administration. He has been replaced by Ratnakar Gaikwad, an Indian Administrative Service IAS official of the 1975 batch. Gaikwad, who was responsible for introducing the zero-garbage concept in the metropolis, has been asked to take up his new assignment with immediate effect.

8220;It was our duty to take immediate cognizance of the unanimous resolution passed by the general body of the Pune Municipal Corporation,8221; Chief Minister Narayan Rane said after the transfer order was issued.

Earlier, cutting across party lines, 118 corporators from the Congress, the Shiv Sena, the Bharatiya Janata Party and other partied voted in favour of the motion seeking Bhatia8217;s recallby the Maharashtra Government.

The resolution accused him of being 8220;dogmatic, dictatorial and unaccommodative sic8221; in his approach and behaviour with the corporators and 8220;thereby retarding the development works in the city.8221;

The Republican Party of India RPI, which had earlier declared it would not support the recall motion, voted in favour.

8220;In a democratic setup, one can not ignore the sentiments expressed by the elected representatives of the people,8221; Rane said.

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Former Municipal Commissioner S S Tinaikar said the Provincial Municipal Corporation is very clear on the no confidence motions. 8220;Once a no confidence motion is passed against the Commissioner, he stands removed automatically with immediate effect,8221; Tinaikar said.

Under the act, he added, there is no question of an official report from the corporation or the Urban Development department, and at the same time, there is no provision of handing over the charge to any of the municipal officials subordinate to him.

8220;It is theresponsibility of the government to appoint a new official immediately after the no confidence motion is passed against the commissioner.8221;

Earlier in the day, Rane had announced that Bhatia would be 8220;immediately recalled8221; if the PMC general body passed a motion to this effect.

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8220;First we will recall Bhatia and then decide where to post him next8221;, the chief minister told mediapersons after the weekly cabinet meeting in Mumbai.

Significantly, Bhatia had said on Tuesday that he would be asking the State Government to dissolve the municipal corporation for several irregularities in the civic body.

Addressing members of the Express Citizens Forum ECF on Tuesday evening, Bhatia had said he could recommend dissolution of the Corporation under Section 452 of Bombay Province Municipal Corporation and could provide grounds for the dissolution.

After Bhatia left the meeting, a resolution adopted by ECF also asked for the dissolution of the corporation if the corporators did not withdraw the no-confidencemotion against him.