In a major setback to the BJP which single-handedly governs the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC), the state government authorities scrapped two resolutions which were mooted by the rulers on the virtue of the majority in the standing committee and transport authority of the civic body.
The first resolution is related to the e-tender in which the lowest bidder was shortlisted by the tender committee for the maintenance and care taking of gardens, crematoriums, playgrounds, traffic islands and medians in the twin-city for a period of two years.
The standing committee rejected the proposal on August 17, claiming that the tender did not qualify as per guidelines mandated by the general body.
The second resolution was passed by the standing committee and later seconded by the transport committee on October 12, giving its nod to a reimbursement structure which mandated payments at the rate of Rs. 29.26 per km for buses that ferried personnel engaged in essential services.
Included in it was also the Rs. 33. 17 per km rate for those buses which never ventured out of the depot during the lockdown period imposed to contain the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
This comes despite the fact that the MBMC has signed an eight-year Net Cost contract with the private operator agreeing to pay Rs 26 per km for operating a fleet of 80 buses running at an average of 200 km per bus every day.
Realising that both the decisions were destructive with prospects of putting a negative impact on the financial health of the civic body, the commissioner had sent the resolutions to the state government’s urban development department (UDD).
The UDD scrapped the resolution in accordance with section 451 (1) of Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act.
However, the concerned have been allowed to respond within a timeframe of 30-days. The BJP rulers are already under the scanner for offering a kids glove treatment to the private bus operator.
