Thane Mayor Naresh Mhaske has accused the civic administration of keeping him in the dark about the municipal corporation receiving the Central government's Swachh Survekshan Award 2021.
The mayor has written a strongly-worded letter to Municipal Commissioner Vipin Sharma, saying that he came to know about the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) receiving the award through the print media. As per the awards declared last week, the corporation stood at the 14th position in the 'garbage-free city and waste management' category.
"The civic administration has been insulting and sidelining the mayor and the elected representatives," he said in the letter that was shared with the media on Wednesday.
The administration "did not even have the courtesy to inform him" about the award for which the general body would have lauded the administration during the general body meeting, he alleged. "In other civic bodies, the mayor and other office-bearers were present to receive the awards, but in case of Thane, the civic officials conveniently did not inform the mayor and other office-bearers. Even the additional municipal commissioner in-charge of the waste management was not told about it," Mhaske claimed.
He said that the elected representatives in the corporation are "completely upset" over the protocol not being followed and the "repeated insult" of the mayor, adding that they are planning a "non-cooperation movement".
He told the civic chief that the administration and the elected representatives act as two wheels. "But this attitude of the administration are turning things sour," he said.
The mayor asked the commissioner to carry out an inquiry into the episode and take action against those responsible for it.
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