The demand to dissolve the Finance Committee formed during the Covid-19 pandemic and the administrator’s tenure dominated discussions at the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) General Body meeting on Friday. Corporators alleged that the committee, which was constituted when restrictions were in place, is now unnecessary and is causing delays in development works.
The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Mayor Manjusha Nagpure. Raising the issue in the House, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator Prithviraj Sutar questioned the relevance of the Finance Committee in the current scenario. He alleged that the municipal administration appears to be more focused on blocking works rather than facilitating them.
Sutar pointed out that the committee was formed at a time when strict restrictions on gatherings were imposed due to the rising impact of Covid-19. “At that time, certain administrative mechanisms were required. However, now that elected representatives have assumed office and the House is functional, making the Finance Committee’s approval mandatory is leading to unnecessary delays. Development works are suffering because of this,” he said.
Supporting the demand, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) corporator Baburao Chandere said that the committee had served its purpose during the administrator’s tenure but is no longer required. “When there were no elected representatives, the Finance Committee functioned without issue. Now that the Standing Committee and the General Body are in place, there is no need for a separate Finance Committee. A decision to dissolve it should be taken immediately,” he stated.
Responding to the concerns, Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram said that the administration would conduct a detailed review. “We will gather information on which works have been stalled or what difficulties have arisen due to the Finance Committee. Based on the findings, a decision will be taken collectively in the next meeting,” he said.
The issue is expected to be taken up again once the administration presents its report.
