Solapur Municipal Commissioner M S Deonikar, who has strongly objected to the poor quality of roads constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), will soon be transferred.

The Solapur Municipal Corporation (SMC), dominated by corporators owing allegiance to Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde, on Wednesday passed a resolution for his immediate transfer.

The MSRDC’s newly constructed roads are part of a Rs 90-crore project. Deonikar has repeatedly alleged that the quality of the roads is substandard. He has gone to the extent of saying that as long as he was in the chair, he would not let the SMC take possession of the roads.

“The money spent on the roads has come from the pockets of the people. I am bound to save public money,” a defiant Deonikar told The Indian Express.

On the other hand, ruling Congress corporators said that Deonikar was non-co-operative and a hurdle in the development of the fast-growing city. SMC house leader Mahesh Kothe rejected the charge that the anti-Deonikar move was sparked by the MSRDC issue.

“It’s not that only the Congress wanted his transfer. The BJP, Shiv Sena and the NCP are with us on development issues,” Kothe said.

The relations between the corporators and Deonikar had been souring ever since he made the SMC functioning transparent.

For instance, instead of sanctioning development works without issuing tenders, Deonikar opted to undertake all the projects through the SMC department, saving over Rs 4 crore.

Deonikar also introduced e-mail tendering. The new system was a big hurdle for most corporators, who would earlier get a tender in the fake name in complicity with SMC officials.

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