Nagpur: Dr. Millind Ganvir Health Dy Director of Health Services of NMC has been suspended just 3 months before he is to retire. The decision was announced suddenly yesterday to the media at a press conference.
“This is a one sided decision and my clarification or version has not been sought. Of course, I intend to fight the summary suspension but let me get the ‘order’ in may hand first. Right now, I am on a Wait and Watch mode” said Ganvir, speaking exclusively to NT, Associate Editor.
He sounded relaxed and at ease though he said he has been unwell for some time and has been on an extended ‘Sick leave’ for almost an year now. He is a patient of acute diabetes and had suffered a heart attack last year.
There are a lot of uncleared doubts and questions in this case.
Like Dr. Millind Ganvir points out ” I was only making the bills; they were being passed by the Accounts department. Why were they not doing due diligence before making payment?”
Also, the ten years old contract with Kanak Resources, had come up for review with the Standing Committee five years ago; everything related to the contract, like rates per ton, had come up during discussion.
“If it was an irregular decision that I had made ( about rate hike) why was it approved and continued?”
Jadhav told the media that there was difference between the conditions in the tender and those in the agreement signed between NMC and Kanak. “For example, Kanak’s rate for lifting garbage was linked to wholesale price index (WPI) on annual basis. Ganvir made it on quarterly basis, without taking anybody’s permission. Many other conditions were changed by him,” he said.
Ganvir points out that his decision, as pointed out by Standing Committee itself, was based on the WPI which is approved by the RBI.
“Minimum labour wages were hiked by Labour Ministry meanwhile and labour payments went up, therefore rates for Kanak were hiked on mutual discussion.” He explains.
Then suspension was announced by standing committee chairman Sandip Jadhav and ruling party leader Sandip Joshi on Monday in a press conference. “The municipal commissioner has been asked to conduct a departmental enquiry into the irregularities in three months and submit the report to standing committee,” Jadhav said.
Since Ganvir is set to retire this August, and he is on leave till then, the supension does not affect him much however, his pension and gratuity will be stopped.
Ganvir and NMC, specially the Ruling party Corporators have been at logger heads on many issues over the years and it has also been insinuated that he has been targeted because of the ‘community’ he belongs to.
But it is the first time such a step has been taken against him.
