These accusations may well eclipse the KDMT's otherwise successful launch on May 23.

In a letter dated August 3, Sena whip in the Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC), Rajan Samant, requested the state's Chief Secretary Arun Bongiwar to order an inquiry into the recruitment process after sealing all paperwork related to the recruitment. `` The Transport Commitee formed under Section 54 (1) of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Council, 1949 was kept totally in the dark about this selection,'' the letter states.

On April 29, 1998, the KDMT had published anadvertisement announcing a written exam in February this year to the posts of drivers, conductors, technicians, depot managers and accounts staff. A total of 333 applicants applied for 30 vacancies for conductors and 23 for drivers. While 27 conductors were selected in April when the results of the written exam was declared, three were appointed only on July 21, ten days after the code of conduct was announced. Sudhir Pande, member of the Transport Committee alleged that the three appointees, Vikas Daroda, Shukatali Sheikh and Ravindra Thorat, were given appointment letters backdated to July 9 to mask the violation.

Admitted one of the candidates, ``I had got an assurance on July 8 itself that I would be selected.'' However, Deputy Transport Manager of KDMT, P N Jagdale denied this, saying, ``Why should I get on the wrong side of the EC?'' He also denied the allegation that the appointments were made for money.

There is also proof that in some cases, the marks of the written exam held in February weredoctored to suit selection requirements. Samant told Express Newsline, ``One S Dhorwane who was declared unfit for the post of Depot Manager by the selection committee because he did not meet the required educational qualifications has nevertheless been appointed despite protests by the panel.'' However, Jagdale says, ``The same people who are now raising a hue and cry never said anything during the recruitment process.''

And while the advertisement for the post of driver required a minimum of five years' heavy vehicle driving experience, 11 of the 23 applicants had just three years and less experience, said a KDMT official. Countered Jagdale, ``Were we expected to wait till we finally got candidates with five years experience? Nobody wants to talk about how we finally got the KDMT buses on the streets after a period of two years.'' Although the buses were purchased in January 1996, the service started only in May this year.

When Jagdale was confronted with proof of doctored marks, he claimed that``Such lies are being spread by vested interests who want to malign the administration. If they can't appreciate good work by our team, they should at least refrain from digging out something or the other, merely to criticise us.''

However, KDMT committee chairperson Prakash Penkar maintained that the charges were true. ``As a ,committee we have continuosly been maintaining correspondence with the administration stating that we should be taken into confidence, but it was never done,'' he said. ``Unless they had something to hide there was no need for this.''