Mumbai: Months after being subjected to constant criticism from all political parties, Navi Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe was transferred on Friday.
Known for his no non-sense style of functioning and refusal to bend rules for political leaders, Mr. Mundhe was the centre of criticism from the early days of his tenure in Navi Mumbai. Mr. Mundhe will be replaced by Ramaswamy N., who was earlier posted as Inspector General of Registration and Controller of Stamp in Pune. The government has not clarified Mr. Mundhe’s new posting.
Irked over his stand of sticking to rulebook, a number of MLAs and corporators had complained against him to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
While he was given a free hand by the CM during his tenure, he has been shifted even before completing the actual tenure of three years. The reasons behind his sudden transfer are yet unknown.
The tenure of Mr. Mundhe was appreciated by the people, thanks to his actions against unauthorised structures, hawkers, and pro-people initiatives which brought the administration closer to them. While he said he has no political agenda, corporators across party lines complained against him for not giving them due respect. His latest decision to end the services of hundreds of corporation employees to cut the cost saw political unity against him.
Last week, a number of Shiv Sena corporators held a meeting with party chief Uddhav Thackeray along with senior minister Eknath Shinde, allegedly to complain against Mr. Mundhe.
