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| Patna Municipal Corporation |
The ongoing game of one- upmanship at Patna Municipal Corporation has found new players.
A day after chief minister Nitish Kumar spoke “indirectly” in support of mayor Afzal Imam, several ward councillors also joined the ongoing tussle between him and the municipal commissioner.
On Thursday, former deputy mayor Vinay Kumar “Pappu” wrote a letter to the commissioner requesting him to take requisite action against Imam in cognisance of a memorandum submitted against him to the former PMC commissioner in October last year.
Pappu alleged that no action had been taken against the mayor for over a year now. “It was during the PMC board meeting on October 1, 2012, that Imam manhandled ward councillor Sunil Yadav. Consequently, an informatory regarding the incident was lodged at the local police station. We also filed a memorandum signed by 37 ward councillors to the former urban development and housing department minister in March and to the former commissioner as well seeking the removal of mayor on charges of misbehaviour while discharging his duties,” said Pappu.
Prabha Devi, the councillor from ward No. 23, has also written to the commissioner seeking an explanation regarding his allegation that the mayor was pressuring him to undertake “selected development works” only. In her letter, Prabha said: “Can you please mention in which wards have you done development works on the mayor’s instruction?”
On the other hand, Imam wrote a letter to the commissioner on Thursday claiming that all manholes in the city are open and the catchpits are awaiting repair works though the empowered standing committee sanctioned Rs 1 crore and 8 lakh for the work at its meeting on June 29. Sources said the funds had been distributed among different circles of the PMC and the executive officers were to float the corresponding tenders.
In her letter written on Wednesday, Prabha also made the allegation that letters belonging to only those ward councillors are being uploaded on the PMC website who speak in support of the commissioner. Ironically, Prabha’s letter is also available on the website.
HC hearing
A division bench of Patna High Court on Thursday dismissed the explanations given by four executive officers of the PMC against the showcause notice regarding running a commercial establishment on a residential property of the civic body at SK Puri.