Nagpur: A seemingly routine question on the functioning of Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) administrative zones triggered an unprecedented political showdown at the General Body meeting on Tuesday, with ruling BJP and Opposition Corporators locking horns over a proposal to increase the number of zones from 10 to 12.

The heated confrontation forced Mayor Neeta Thakre to withdraw her initial directive to the civic administration to prepare and forward a proposal to the State Government. Following the uproar, she clarified that no decision had been taken to increase the number of zones and directed officials to examine the matter and place a detailed proposal before the House for discussion.

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The meeting was held at Niyojan Bhavan, as the Suresh Bhat Auditorium was unavailable.

The controversy began when senior BJP Corporator Bandu Raut raised a question seeking information about Nagpur’s current population and the last reorganisation of the administrative zones. He also sought details of the city’s population when the number of zones was increased to 10 in 2002.

Deputy Commissioner Nirbhay Jain, while responding, referred to the 2012 civic elections, when 12 Zonal Returning Officers had reportedly been appointed despite the NMC having only 10 administrative zones. He clarified that the arrangement had been made solely to facilitate the smooth conduct of elections and did not amount to an increase in the number of administrative zones.

The issue, however, quickly turned political when Opposition members objected to the ruling side attempting to push the matter through on the strength of its numerical majority.

Leader of Opposition Sanjay Mahakalkar led the Opposition charge and, along with non-BJP corporators, entered the well of the House. Congress and AIMIM-IUML members alleged that the proposed reorganisation was less about administrative convenience and more about enabling the ruling BJP to strengthen its control over the civic zones.

Opposition corporator Shailesh Pande questioned the need for additional zones when the NMC was already struggling to adequately staff the existing 10. IUML corporator Aslam Khan highlighted the disparity between workload and manpower, pointing out that Ashi Nagar Zone, covering four prabhags, has only one junior engineer.

NCP (Ajit Pawar) corporator Abha Pande supported examining the proposal but questioned the civic administration’s ability to provide adequate manpower for two additional zones when several officers were already handling the responsibilities of three or four departments.

The confrontation intensified after Mayor Thakre initially indicated that the proposal would be approved and directed the administration to forward it to the State Government. Mahakalkar immediately rushed to the well, prompting a heated exchange between ruling and Opposition members.

The House soon descended into sloganeering, with BJP corporators raising “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, while Opposition members responded with “Jai Samvidhan”. Opposition corporators also displayed a copy of the Constitution during the protest.

With proceedings paralysed, the Mayor adjourned the House for 10 minutes.

When the meeting resumed, Thakre sought to defuse the situation by clarifying that the NMC had not taken any final decision on increasing the number of zones. She directed the administration to study the requirement, examine the administrative and manpower implications and submit a detailed proposal before the General Body for consideration.

The controversy has nevertheless brought the issue of NMC’s administrative structure, staffing shortages and the proposed expansion of civic zones into sharp political focus. Any move to increase the number from 10 to 12 is now likely to face intense scrutiny when the detailed proposal is brought before the House.