The issue ignited after opposition Congress leader K A Bastiwalla initiating the Simplicitor move called for adjournment. He was protesting against the ``insult'' to Committee chairman, Sada Sarvankar, by octroi assessor and collector P B Janwalkar's refusal to furnish details regarding refunds made to various parties by the octroi department. The insult was heaped not only on Sarvankar but also on the entire Committee and the elected representatives, contended Bastiwalla.

Backing Bastiwala, Shiv Sena's Balkrishna Rane told the committee that several files were burnt by the administration to erase records of refunds to bogus firms. Rane questioned why Jhanwalkar was not being transferred and demanded a probe into the assets of octroi officers, while Sena's Ram Mhatre furnished a list of six companies thatdid not exist.

Members across party lines wondered why the administration was refusing to show documents to corporators as there was no civic law forbidding this. ``Who's running the corporation? The city's administration has collapsed,'' thundered BJP's Arun Deo. Samajwadi Party leader Yusuf Abrahani said octroi was the biggest avenue for the BMC to earn revenue but it was the administration's corrupt men who were milking it for personal gain.

Congress's Baba Siddique said BMC administration was indifferent to the rampant corruption under Janwalkar. ``On a salary of Rs 15,000 these officers have some four children studying abroad at an average expense of Rs 12 lakhs per head. These IAS officers think they are educated and we corporators are from jopadpattis,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Independent Niyaz Ahmed Vanu told the committee of the sad case of a six-year old boy Iqbal who fell into the JK Chemical Nallah at Antop Hill at 6.15 pm when it rained heavily on Monday and whose body was recovered in Mahulcreek today at 1 pm.``In the first two days no one came giving the excuse of Ganpati holidays. ``Civic officers wanted proof of whether a child actually fell in. No conscious effort was made.``It is time to show them there place. These IAS officers are spending Rs 10,000 daily on their liquor and blame corporators for corruption,''said Wanoo.

In reply additional municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar said that it was wrong to generalise that administration was corrupt as every field had its own set of good and bad men.

Bastiwalla said that he would take up the issue with greater powers and discuss the issue of transparency between the administration and elected representatives.