Patna mayor Afzal Imam. Telegraph picture

Patna, Aug. 4: Mayor Afzal Imam has approached the high court for removal of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC) commissioner Divesh Sehara on the grounds that he was appointed without consulting the empowered standing committee.

According to sources, the Bihar Municipal Act has a provision that says that commissioners should be appointed in consultation with the empowered standing committee. The mayor alleged the committee was not taken into confidence before Sehara was appointed as commissioner in February.

About 10 days back, the councillors had passed a resolution to remove the commissioner in the special corporation board meeting. The state urban development department had, however, turned down the resolution citing a recent amendment in the act that the corporation board cannot pass the resolution to remove the commissioner until he completes a year in the chair.

“The fact that all 55 councillors present in the special meeting wanted the commissioner removed shows their frustration and anger. We acknowledge that this is not an ideal situation but we were forced to do it, as we cannot keep quiet any longer. This is a democratic set-up and if a bureaucrat forgets that, we will remind him that the power to the elected representatives is provided by the Constitution. I have petitioned for the removal of the dictator commissioner in the high court now,” mayor Afzal Imam told The Telegraph.

According to sources, the main issue that had created difference of opinion between the mayor and the commissioner was the matter pertaining to the payment of A2Z Infrastructure Private Limited, the private sanitation provider hired for garbage collection works in select parts of the city.

While the private agency has been collecting wastes from January 2010, its bills worth Rs 7.6 crore are still pending with the civic body. The mayor has been stressing that the outstanding bills be cleared at the earliest.

The commissioner went on to constitute a committee to verify the bills, which later pointed out large-scale irregularities and fudging of bills on the part of the private company.

Meanwhile, the private firm has been on strike since July 21 causing garbage to pile up on major roads and many wards of the city.