BMC engineer-turned-corporator says its chief Ajoy Mehta's tenure was filled with negligence and irresponsibility; demands probe against him over the Kamala Mills blaze and other disasters
Former BMC engineer Rajendra Narwankar was a surprise winner of the BMC polls last year
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Ajoy Mehta's tenure as municipal commissioner has been the most futile, with complete negligence and irresponsibility — so says Rajendra Narwankar, a retired BMC engineer-turned-corporator. Narwankar, a corporator from Wadia Street in Mumbai Central, has now shot off a letter to the mayor, blaming Mehta for all the lives lost in disasters caused by civic apathy in the last two years. In his January 4 letter to Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar, he further demanded that the civic chief be booked under the stringent Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Complaints ignored
In his letter, Narwankar alleged that he and his colleagues had complained about illegal alterations, constructions and hookah parlours several times, but the civic chief chose to ignore them. It was a combination of the same factors that caused the Kamala Mills fire. Narwankar told mid-day, "One can check the minutes of meetings and see how many times we have brought innumerable illegalities to BMC's notice, but they were ignored." He tried raising the issue in the House once again on January 5, during a general body meeting, but the mayor allegedly refused to let him speak. Upset on being gagged, Narwankar left the meeting midway.
Civic chief responsible
"My group leader Ravi Raja, a few corporators and I filed a complaint and raised the issue in civic meetings about illegal constructions and demanded demolitions, especially hookah parlours, but no action was taken. The municipal commissioner is not only the administrative head, but also holds the post of chief of Tree Authority Committee and the city's Disaster Management Unit. So, he is responsible for all the mishaps in the last two-and-a-half years, as those were man-made accidents. But instead of probing his role, unfortunately, the CM is giving him the responsibility of conducting inquiries in these matters," Narwankar told this paper. He has also demanded that anyone suspected of being involved in the Kamala Mills tragedy should undergo a narco-analysis test. When mid-day called Mehta, he refused to comment on the issue.
Who is Narwankar?
The 62-year-old corporator had served as a BMC engineer for 33 years before retiring as assistant engineer of the Solid Waste Management department in D ward in 2013. He served another two years as a special executive officer of then municipal commissioner Sitaram Kunte. In 2017, Narwankar surprised everyone by winning the civic polls on his very first attempt on a Congress ticket. He is thought to be the first BMC engineer to have become a corporator.
35
Number of years he served as a BMC officer
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