War of words unabated on PMC battlefield8217;

PUNE, May 24: The tussle between Pune Municipal Commissioner Arun Bhatia and the corporators continued on Monday as several corporators a...

PUNE, May 24: The tussle between Pune Municipal Commissioner Arun Bhatia and the corporators continued on Monday as several corporators alleged in the general body meeting that the administration was responsible for delaying the commencement of various development works proposed in the current budget as the tenders and estimates of these works had not been prepared.

Responding to this allegation, Bhatia pointed out that less than 50 per cent of the amount sanctioned for various purposes in the last year budget was actually spent and asked the corporators to raise their voice against it.

Mayor Datta Gaikwad directed Bhatia to prepare the estimates of the projects mentioned in the current budget within 15 minutes and to invite tenders within a fortnight.

Later, the Mayor issued a press release criticising Bhatia for walking out of the general body meeting without his permission on Friday and lodging a first information report FIR against corporator Ulhas Dhole-Patil at Deccan Gymkhana police station.

In his press release, the Mayor has stated that Dhole-Patil had passed the objectionable remarks about north Indians during a discussion at the general body meeting and that he did not intend to offend anybody.

The corporators asked what action the administration had taken against the slums reportedly coming up at a plot reserved for truck terminus at Dhankawadi and on various footpaths.

Bhatia informed the meeting that the administration had already launched action against slums at Dhankawadi and that the encroachments on footpaths near Sassoon Hospital were removed today.

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Shyam Satpute claimed that the administration had yet not prepared the estimates of various development works mentioned in the current budget. Mandakini Khule demanded to know why the work of improving the roads and drainage in Yamuna Nagar slums was being delayed.

Responding to Khule8217;s query, Bhatia said he would be able to give a list of 19 to 20 roads which were repaired along with the names of several other roads which were not repaired though they had equal amount of traffic and were in a worse condition.

Bhatia revealed that the administration had been able to spend less than 50 per cent of the Rs 113 crore provisions made in the budget for the last year.