BMC panel meet disrupted

Although this issue was not remotely related to the committee’s affairs, chairperson Suhasini Parab allowed the matter to be discussed on the insistence of Potnis, who’s a member of the committee. Parab, along with other members, has also dashed a letter to Municipal Commissioner Girish Gokhale demanding an inquiry into the allegations against Potnis and into the leakage of confidential documents by civic officials to the media.

As soon as the meeting commenced in the afternoon, Potnis raised a point of order condemning the report, claiming that he was not involved in illegal encroachment activities. In fact, he added, he had written to the ward officeasking that illegal structures in his ward be demolished.

The other Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party members supported him, and although the opposition suggested that the issue should be raised in the general body meeting, their request was not heeded. The sympathies of all members, though, lay with Potnis.

The councillors also alleged that Deputy Municipal Commissioner Chandrasekhar Rokde, who was transferred from zone III last month, had leaked the report to the media. They demanded that the commissioner take action against Rokde for maligning corporators.

Parab justified throwing aside the entire committee agenda to discuss the Potnis issue, saying, “All members wanted to discuss only this issue, and had even said they would not like to discuss anything else in the meeting.”

Congress corporator Annie Sekhar, who is also a committee member, however struck a dissenting note. “We come here all the way to discuss the improvement of civic services and it is very frustrating when only personal issuesare taken up in the meeting. However, I was helpless as I was in the minority.”