Sudhir Raut & Ramesh Singare
Nagpur: The present Chairman of Standing Committee Ramesh Singare, whose tenure is coming to an end soon, will relinquish the office on a sore note. Over a dozen schemes Singare proposed in NMC’s Budget for 2015-16 have remained only on papers. Ironically, the Chairman, forget the pursuance of the schemes, has not even bothered to monitor the present status of the welfare schemes. Singare, the other day, went on an amendment spree in the Revised Budget presented by Municipal Commissioner and got his new look or say cosmetic Budget, approved unanimously just to assert his authority over administration.
“It is a matter of concern that many of the NMC’s welfare schemes announced for citizens have been remaining only on paper and the Standing Committee not bothering to ensure implementation of the schemes,” lamented an office-bearer of the civic body.
While presenting the last Budget the Chairman of Standing Committee had announced a slew of new schemes and even made provisions for their implementation. The schemes include Single Window System, Taxi Cab Transport Scheme, Balasaheb Thackeray Memorial Educational, Art, Sports and Cultural Centre, construction of commercial complex, Orange City Project, construction of state-of-the-art hospital, ‘Khau Galli’ (lane of eatables), Mobile Van, setting up sports complex in Vathoda, ‘Dnyan Alok Yojana,’ Unified Complaints Redressal Centre, ‘Upavan’ Libraries in all gardens of city, toilets for women across city, sickle cell centre, mobile hospital, safety and security scheme for students, Abacus training, beautification of major squares, creation of new gardens, Anusayabai Counselling Centre, removal of electricity poles posing hurdles in vehicular traffic, mobile toy bus etc. Provisions for such schemes were shown in the Budget. However, the Chairman only succeeded in limiting the schemes on Budget papers only. The truth is that at least beginning of the schemes could have been done.
Another bitter truth coming to the fore is that the Standing Committee was being run by Singare for the sake of name only. The Committee was actually run by ruling party leader, an influential opposition corporator and Praful Farkase. Singare just went on signing spree for ‘benefits’ of himself. But still, Sinagre is not leaving a stone unturned to seek another term, but unsuccessfully. The fact is that the party had already decided the next Chairman in the form of Bandu Raut, six months ago.
If Raut becomes the next Chairman of Standing Committee, he will have to sit ‘idle’ as Singare, during his tenure, has approved so many proposals it will take at least six months for making funds provision for the proposals. Thereafter, Raut’s tenure could be hit by the enforcement of code of conduct as NMC election is slated in the year 2017. It means, many of the schemes could remain on papers only.
– Rajeev Ranjan Kushwaha ( rajeev.nagpurtoday@gmail.com )
