Patna: Deputy mayor Vinay Kumar Pappu has accused the urban development and housing department of snatching away the rights of the Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) and claimed that the departments action threatens the existence of the municipal body.

Pappu on Thursday shot off a letter over this to mayor Sita Sahu, in which he expressed concern on the state government department "snatching" the fund utilisation right of the civic body.

The trigger for this, according to sources, is a recent notification of the urban and housing development department that says the municipal corporation-related funds would be utilised through private agencies that would work under the department.

Mayor Sita Sahu has taken cognisance of her deputy's letter.

She said that she would discuss the issue with mayors and deputy mayors of other municipal corporations in a meeting that has been scheduled for Sunday.

"This (the department notification) is direct hampering of the autonomous status of the municipal corporation," a PMC standing committee member said under cover of anonymity on Friday.

"As per the norm, the fund sanctioned for the municipal corporation has to be utilised by the corporation itself, but now the department is snatching this right also.

"How can the municipal bodies perform their responsibilities then?"

Sources said that the deputy mayor had also asked in his letter why the department was going to hire a private agency for the municipal body-related work when an engineering cell of the department was already functional.

"The department has also given revenue collection and some other works to private agencies. All this would make the corporation disabled," the deputy mayor wrote to the mayor.

Sahu said that Sunday's meeting would also discuss the sanction of fewer number of posts for the PMC headquarters and its various circles.

"Very limited number of posts has been sanctioned for the municipal corporation which don't match the city population's requirement," the mayor said.

"A second thought needs to be given on this. We are also going to raise this matter in the Sunday's meeting."