Jagadeesan completes stormy year

SURAT, Dec 10: Surat Municipal Commissioner S Jagadeesan completed a stormy one-year tenure on Wednesday. Ironically, never before has an...

SURAT, Dec 10: Surat Municipal Commissioner S Jagadeesan completed a stormy one-year tenure on Wednesday. Ironically, never before has any commissioner been cornered by councillors of the ruling party as the present incumbent. One after another councillor lambasted Jagadeesan at Wednesday8217;s general board meeting.

Observers say the attack on the civic chief strongly hints that Jagadeesan will now have to go. 8220;His transfer is inevitable. The ruling BJP leaders are extremely unhappy with him and they have approached Chief Minister Keshubhai Patel in this regard,8221; a former mayor, asking anonymity says.

Barely a week into his tenure in Surat, the commissioner told reporters that his longest tenure was 18 months and as a government official he was not bothered about transfers.

A standing committee member hinted that the general board might adopt a resolution asking the government to transfer Jagadeesan. 8220;The CM can no longer ignore sentiments of local party workers and councillors. There is hardly any one who has praised Jagadeesan. Even though the commissioner boasts of his proximity to the CM, Patel cannot antagonise the party cadre. The commissioner has collected development fund from builders, which is illegal. But the builders are happy. Ironically, it was the builders who first raised a hue and cry against Jagadeesan,8221; the former mayor pointed out.

Significantly, with civic polls barely 16 months away, councillors have virtually nothing to sell to the people. That is the reason why councillors had trained guns on him. 8220;There is resentment against him,8221; Mayor Savita Sharda said, adding the general board is a platform where councillors can raise any issue during zero hour. However, she said some councillors had used unparliamentary language against the commissioner, which was wrong. Whether the BJP wanted Jagadeesan transferred, the mayor said she was no longer a party member so could not comment on the issue.

According to an observer, the commissioner had made more enemies that friends because of his peculiar style of functioning. Unlike his predecessor S R Rao, who was humility personified, Jagadeesan8217;s abrasive style has alienated him from even his admirers. Barring a few, even senior civic officials are against him.

The observer claims his relations with the Press are also strained. Initially, press briefing was done by deputy commissioner J G Hingrajia, who was transferred after the elected wing opposed his appointment as he was seen close to the commissioner, who was the actual target. Now the director of planning is assigned to brief the press.

Story continues below this ad

Not so long ago, the Surat Municipal Corporation had received 184 proposals from various NGOs, industrialists offering to bear the cost of various civic project under the Surat First Campaign8217;, launched by Rao. The proposal had started trickling in soon after Rao launched Surat First Campaign8217; on June 17, 1997.

Unfortunately, the programme has been given a quiet burial. In fact, recently a traffic island constructed by the Aggrawal Samaj, under the programme, was pulled down. The Samaj was hurt because the island was constructed after SMC approved of the design, the observer said.

However, standing committee chairman Ajay Chokshi defends the demolition. 8220;SMC has the right to change the design and even demolish the structure.8221; But then will people and organisations come forward for such programmes in future?