Mumbai, June 10, 2026: The suspension of assistant municipal commissioner (AMC) Mahesh Patil by the BMC administration on Monday has raised a fresh controversy in civic corridors. In fact, AMCs are finding themselves embroiled in one controversy or another.
Recent Controversies Involving AMCs
In April, an AMC of K/East ward, Nitin Shukla, was arrested for alleged rape. This incident sent shockwaves through civic circles. Another AMC, Mrudula Ande, has been accused of entering public service by claiming to be in the Scheduled Tribe (Mahadev Koli) category while she was allegedly a Hindu Koli. She has stoutly denied the charge and has moved the Bombay High Court, where the matter is likely to come up for hearing later this month.
Then, acting AMC Jaydeep More was pulled up by the Bombay High Court in connection with alleged failure to implement its order regarding illegal construction.
Role Of AMCs In Civic Administration
There are 24 administrative wards in the BMC, and the AMCs, who are recruited through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission, form a crucial link in the hierarchy. They provide an interface between the civic administration and citizens.
Earlier, the BMC had ward officers like David Pinto, G.R. Khairnar, Sudhir Naik, Chandrashekar Chore, and D.S. Kshirsagar, who were known for their dynamism and prompt response to complaints from the public.
Khairnar even received threats from the underworld for boldly demolishing illegal structures worth crores of rupees. Naik made it a point to call complainants and inform them that their grievance had been redressed, a rarity in municipal administration.
Decline In Standards And Civic Services
"However, over the years the standard of AMCs has deteriorated sharply, which is the main reason why delivery of civic services has gone down pathetically," said Dr Gaurang Vora, a noted civic activist from Sion.
Anand Shirali, activist from Andheri, broadly concurred with Dr Vora. However, he said K/West ward (Andheri-West) was an exception where his complaints are attended to if routed through proper channels. "On a scale of ten I would give eight," he added.
There are also allegations of widespread corruption, which is the main reason why illegal structures remain untouched. Almost all the wards have illegal constructions, but rarely are complaints from the public acted upon. Said noted activist Kamlakar Shenoy, "The level of corruption is very high. People have a tough time getting the AMCs to act on their complaints."
Lack Of Public Availability And Proactive Action
All AMCs are required to meet members of the public during a designated period of the day. But rarely do the AMCs make themselves available. "In fact, many of them come late, and when we try to meet them the peon tells us that saheb has to rush to the head office for a meeting," a Chembur resident complained.
If the AMCs proactively attend to civic problems or promptly act on complaints made by citizens, many issues can be resolved at the ward level itself without the need to escalate them to the level of deputy commissioners or other senior officials.
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Municipal Commissioner Sets Example
Municipal Commissioner Ashwini Bhide has resumed the good practice of personally visiting sites where there are issues concerning citizens. This keeps the lower-level staff on alert. "But AMCs themselves should visit their wards often and deal with issues themselves," Dr Vora said.
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