Bhatia lashes out at corporators

When he did turn up at 2.45 pm corporators including Vandana Chavan and others demanded an explanation for such shoddy8217; and insulting8217; treatment. 8220;We too are not interested in hearing his clarification as he Bhatia has already issued press statements,8221; Chavan shot back. Chaos prevailed in the House for some time as theenraged corporators created a scene to protest against Bhatia8217;s delay in attending the meeting.

An unruffled Bhatia whose speech was interrupted time and again, repeated mala bolu dya, mayor saheb aapan corporators na control kara let me speak, please control the corporators Mr Mayor. 8220;My presence here does not make a difference as I have already circulated copies of the clarification to the 19 charges,8221; Bhatia said, adhering to the Mayor8217;s order of restricting his speech to ten minutes. Even as several corporators booed when he started to speak, Bhatia continued his rhetoric and at times even flouted the House rules by asking corporators to sit down. It took corporator Ankush Kakade to point out that it was the Mayor8217;s right to ask him to finish his speech. Bhatia said it was incorrect to allege he was unavailable to people. 8220;I have computerised data and the record shows that I have met 880 people8221;, Bhatia said.

Bhatia asked corporators what they had done for two years. The roads have potholes, hesaid, asking what measures had been taken to prevent the outbreak of viral diseases in slums. 8220;You say I have hampered development works. Why has the PMC only been able to spend 42 per cent of the budget in 1997-98 and 38 per cent in 1998-99 on development works,8221; Bhatia charged alleging that the ward wise allocation for each corporator was illegal and several amounts were not mentioned in the budget 8211; which automatically went into their pockets.

A propoganda has been unleashed that if Bhatia is around it would mean proliferating of slums in the city, the Commissioner said in two months, over 600 hutments which came up after January 1, 1995 were razed. On the other hand over the last three years barely some thousand hutments have been razed, Bhatia charged.

Chaos again prevailed when Bhatia referred to corporator Ulhas Dhole Patil8217;s vulgar8217; language in the House during a previous meeting.

The corporators protested to the reference which led an angry Mayor to snub Bhatia by asking him not inflamepassions. Finally, the Mayor asked him to end the speech and did not permit him to leave the House. Bhatia however disobeyed the order.