Sena MLAs ask the CM to sack MiC

MUMBAI, APRIL 7: The Shiv Sena Legislature Party SSLP today asked Chief Minister Narayan Rane to scrap the Mayor-in-Council MiC syste...

MUMBAI, APRIL 7: The Shiv Sena Legislature Party SSLP today asked Chief Minister Narayan Rane to scrap the Mayor-in-Council MiC system in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation BMC, claiming that it had failed miserably to meet the expectations of Mumbaiites. It is for the first time since MiC8217;s introduction in April last year that legislators of the ruling party have demanded MiC8217;s scrapping.

8220;To prevent further damage to the alliance government, we feel that immediate steps should be taken by you for scrapping the MIC,8221; Shiv Sena legislators from Mumbai said in a memorandum written on the SSLP letterhead. Those who have signed the memorandum are: former mayor Chandrakant Padwal, Bala Nandgaonkar, Suresh Gambhir, Suryakant Desai, Baburao Mane, Shrikant Sarmalkar, Gurunath Desai, Nandkumar Kale, Sitaram Dalvi, Shantaram Ambrey, Shantaram Chavan and Ratnakar Narkar.

The Congress Legislature Party CLP has already told the government that it would be too happy to see the MiC system go.

The MiChas been dogged by troubles ever since it replaced the old system. 8220;We lodged complaints against MiC and you also received petitions against it. Under such circumstances, you, as a political head of the state, should take immediate steps for scrapping the MiC,8221; the SSLP memorandum adds.Former Chief Minister Manohar Joshi was instrumental in introducing the MiC system in the BMC. In fact, to get the bill to amend the BMC Act passed for the purpose, he had personally convened a meeting of the leaders of the opposition parties. Simultaneously, he had deputed the then Minister of State for Urban Development Ravindra Mane to study MIC in the Calcutta Municipal Corporation.

Joshi8217;s main contention was that even though municipal corporations were democratically elected bodies, the municipal commissioner enjoyed vast statutory powers, while the mayor was just an ornamental head, without any financial or quasi-judicial powers agree with this view-point. In his first interaction with with the officials of the UrbanDevelopment Department, soon after he took over from Joshi, he had made it clear that he was not happy with the MiC8217;s performance in the BMC. Subsequently, he also asked Municipal Commissioner Girish Gokhale to submit him a comprehensive review of the whole system.

In fact at a juncture it appeared that the state cabinet would recommend to Governor P C Alexander to promulgate an ordinance to provide for the scrapping of the MiC. However, following intervention of Shiv Sena Supremo Bal Thackeray, the proposal was postponed. In the meanwhile, Mayor Nandu Satam personally met Thackeray as well as Rane to argue his case.

When contacted today Satam said: 8220;Sena chief and the chief minister will take a decision on this. As far as we are concerned we have told them about the work we have done.8221;