Addressing a marathon meeting of commissioners of all municipal corporations in Maharashtra, Rane said, "Unauthorised constructions must be stopped at any cost and at the same time, stringent action must be initiated against those promoting such constructions. We are planning to make all municipal commissioners directly responsible for these constructions. Moreover, the Government will support honest and efficient officer taking action in such cases," Rane said.

Presently, lower rung officials like Deputy Municipal Commissioners (DMC) are responsible for unauthorised constructions. Each municipal corporation also has a DMC specially posted to demolish unauthorised constructions and prevent new from beingconstructed.

Rane added that apart from encroachments, decisions over matters like establishing special courts, pending district development plans, revision of property tax in municipal limits will be made before March 31, 1999. He said the local self governments must change the scope of vital civic amenities being provided to the citizens. He said the corporations must work to make the cities cleaner, beautiful and healthy. The municipal officials must abide by discipline, efficiency and commitment to the society, the CM added.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Urban Development, Ravindra Mane said that the corporations in Maharashtra were overburdened with the increasing demand of basic civic services. Mane added that all municipal commissioners must initiate measures to increase revenue of their corporations and depend less on the State Government's aid.

The meeting was attended to by Principal Secretary (Urban Development), K Nalinakshan and Nand Lal, other senior State Government andMunicipal Corporation officials from across the State.