Felicitations and farewells are common on the retirement day of any employee, however in a fitting, rare and a rather touching gesture, a municipal commissioner not only drove his chauffeur to his home in his official car on the latter’s final day of duty but also spent time with his family.
After serving the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) for 33 years, Prakash Pandurang Patil (60) retired on Monday. A small ceremony to felicitate and give a warm farewell to Patil and his other retiring colleagues in the presence of municipal commissioner Dilip Dhole was held in Bhayandar.
As everybody including Patil started leaving after the ceremony, the commissioner took him and several others by surprise. As a token of appreciation for his dedicated service and unblemished track record, Dhole offered Patil a ride back to his home and asked him to sit in the backseat of the car. He not only dropped Patil at his home in Murdha village, but also spent some time with his family and inquired about their well-being while assuring of the civic administration’s support in the future.
“Although I served the present chief for only three months, he took cognizance of my 33 years of service out of which more than nearly two decades of postings as driver to municipal commissioners. Sir, has given me a lifetime memory, I am really touched,” said Patil.
“Drivers play an important role in ferrying their officers safely from one place to another. However, their punctuality and erratic working hours are often neglected since they are generally seen as too low in the ladder to matter. But the commissioner has won every employee's heart,” said PRO Raj Gharat.
After serving as driver for tankers operated by the water supply department, Patil who is known for his punctuality, dedicated service and cooperative nature has been working as chauffeur for commissioners for nearly two decades. The rare gesture has been hailed across political circles and social media platforms.
