PCMC work hit as 15 GB meetings cancelled in eight months

Corporators have also refused to clear over 500 files, forcing the commissioner to take possession of over 100 files by invoking special powers

On Tuesday, two civic general body meetings and a standing committee meeting of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) were adjourned. In the past eight months, as many as 15 civic general body meetings have been adjourned. As a result, the civic body has not been able to take any major decision and the municipal commissioner has been forced to invoke special powers as the corporators refused to relent, senior civic officials said.

Another general body meeting scheduled for February is unlikely to take place, officials said. They said this has created a constitutional crisis. On the other hand, the Shrikar Pardeshi-led PCMC administration is determined to go ahead with its demolition drive — which is the major bone of contention between the two warring sides.

Tuesday's meetings were adjourned after an appeal by MLAs Laxman Jagtap and Vilas Lande to corporators. Demanding that PCMC demolition drive be stopped, both the MLAs said unless Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan held a meeting with them on the issue of illegal construction, the corporators should not allow the meeting to take place.

Senior civic officials said the corporators, mainly from the ruling NCP, who are alleging that development work has come to a standstill are to be blamed for the situation. "The administration has not been able to take a decision as corporators keep adjourning the meeting, demanding to halt the demolition drive." Even when it came to the issue of severing water and power connection to illegal constructions, officials said corporators did not cooperate. "This forced the municipal commissioner to invoke special powers," officials said.

Corporators have refused to clear over 500 files, forcing the commissioner to take over more than 100 files by invoking special powers.

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