After being part of general body meetings through video conferencing, a section of BJP corporators in the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) have raised demands of conducting the meetings on offline mode as per the regular physical attendance format.
A delegation of around 14 BJP corporators led by former standing committee chairman Adv. Ravi Vyas met municipal commissioner Dr. Vijay Rathod in this context on Wednesday. After a gap of nearly six months, the civic administration as a precautionary measure against the spread of Covid-19, had started conducting general body meetings through video conferencing since August last year.
Explaining the drawbacks of online meetings, Adv. Ravi Vyas said, “All usually speak over each other and at times none could listen to what others were saying. Moreover on several occasions members are not able to table important subjects. Such meetings get over quickly even as good topics that need immediate attention from the administration remain on the backburner. The commissioner has assured to seek the government's nod for offline meetings. Other important developmental issues were also discussed in the meeting.”
“If assembly sessions can be held in the normal format, why can’t MBMC conduct its meets offline while adhering to Covid-19 protocol and following all safety precautions?” questioned BJP corporator Daroga Pandey.
The e-initiative had followed in accordance with state government directions which had mandated all civic bodies across the state to carry out official communications through video conferencing, email and other online platforms, instead of physical meetings, to ensure the continuity of day-to-day functioning while maintaining social distancing.
