Councillors at the meet in Patna on Monday. Picture by Ranjeet Kumar Dey

Patna, July 25: For the first time in the history of Patna Municipal Corporation (PMC), the board of the civic body has passed a resolution to remove commissioner Divesh Sehara from the chair.

All 55 councillors of the 72-member board present at the meeting today passed the resolution unanimously through voice vote to remove the commissioner accused of highhandedness and unwillingness to work in public interest.

While presenting the proposal in the special meeting, mayor Afzal Imam said it was in accordance with the Section 41 of the Bihar Municipal Act. It states “executive officers shall be under the administrative control of the empowered standing committee and may be withdrawn by the state government suo motu or if a resolution to that effect is passed by the councillors at a meeting called for this purpose by a two-third majority of the total number of councillors holding office for the time being”.

Imam said: “It is unfortunate that we have to take this unprecedented step to remove the commissioner. But we do not have any other option left, as the present incumbent in the chair does not accept the control of the empowered standing committee, nor does he want to carry out the development works despite repeated recommendations and directions by the committee and the corporation board.”

He also said the councillors had taken strong exception to the fact that the commissioner had behaved arbitrarily and had gone to the extent of disrespecting the councillors.

Deputy mayor Vinay Kumar Pappu expressed similar sentiments.

“The absence of the commissioner in the corporation board meeting last Wednesday outraged all of us. The councillors represent over 20 lakh people of the city,” Pappu said, during the discussion on the proposal.

The mayor said he would take the details of the proceedings of the meeting to urban development minister Prem Kumar and other senior officers of the department today.

“We will also mention that the next commissioner be appointed after discussions with the members of empowered standing committee. We want the present commissioner out at the earliest,” Imam added.

On July 15, agitated ward councillors had gathered in a special meeting and had decided to set a deadline for all pending public interest projects during the forthcoming board meeting. But the commissioner’s absence in the meeting infuriated the councillors further.

Councillor Sanjay Kumar Singh, against whom an FIR was lodged by PMC officers about two months ago after he had an altercation with them over release of ward development funds, said according to the Bihar Municipal Act, it was binding on the commissioner to follow the proposals passed by the corporation board or the empowered standing committee, but in reality, that never happened.

“Most of the time, the commissioner even refuses to attend meetings citing other engagements. It clearly shows that he has no respect for the house of elected representatives,” he said.