Lok Samvad: ‘Patilki’ of administrative arbitrariness and ‘one wound two pieces’ of MP Barne

Barane’s pressure to transfer Commissioner Rajesh Patil subsides

Pimpri. Special Representative
After the change of power in the state, the political equation of Pimpri-Chinchwad also changed. During the reign of Mahavikas Aghadi, the local leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party ran the administration through late Commissioner Rajesh Patil. Administrative arbitrariness and political interference beset Patil. He drew the wrath of Shiv Sena along with BJP. Finally, in the Shinde-Fadnavis government, the commissioner had to face a hasty decision.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena Shinde Group MP Srirang Barne used ‘force’ to replace the commissioner. “During the Mahavikas Aghadi, Shiv Sena’s local leaders and office bearers are not doing their work,” Barne had shown the courage to publicly call for rebellion. Also, Barane had followed up with the municipal administration regarding various issues in Pimpri and Chinchwad assembly constituencies. Barne did not like the delay in it. Also, Commissioner Patil did not answer MP Barne’s call two or three times. When Barane went to meet the commissioner on a certain point, he got a reply that ‘we will ask the parent minister and take a decision’. Due to this, Barane’s displeasure increased. This anger erupted and MP Barne is said to have ‘fielded’ for the replacement of Commissioner Patil through Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and with the help of an MLA from Satara.
At the administrative level, during the Mahavikas Aghadi’s rule, there was a situation like “then Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar spoke… and Commissioner Patil walked…”. He was supported by two senior officers, Additional Commissioner Vikas Dhakne and Jitendra Wagh. The ‘Tridev’ of Patil, Dhakne and Vagh in the Municipal Corporation were not amenable to political interference. Due to many controversial decisions, there was a tone of displeasure on all sides. When Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power in the state, everything remained confused. However, after the Shinde-Fadnavis government, anti-Patil discontent erupted. Therefore, the demand of “transfer the commissioner…” started gaining momentum. Also, after the transfer of Commissioner Rajesh Patil, now additional commissioners Dhakne and Vagh will also be ‘cut off’ the discussion is gaining momentum in the municipal circles.
The new commissioner will take charge in the afternoon…
Newly elected Commissioner Shekhar Singh will take charge of his post at 11 am today. Earlier, there is talk that Commissioner Singh visited Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s bungalow. On the other hand, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and BJP city president and MLA Mahesh Landge have met in Mumbai. Do not ‘compromise’ regarding development works in Pimpri-Chinchwad at this time. It is a reliable report that Fadnavis himself has given a suggestive message to take into consideration the suggestions of Shiv Sena MPs and BJP MLAs… no complaints… Therefore, the new Commissioner Singh will have to work in harmony with the Shiv Sena MP, BJP MLA. Also, the instructions of the state opposition leader Ajit Pawar have to be followed. Political experts have observed that the new commissioner will have to show administrative skills in the political tug-of-war.
BJP’s efforts to prevent the transfer of Rajesh Patil?
Meanwhile, it is said that after the transfer decision was made by outgoing Commissioner Rajesh Patil, BJP city president and MLA Mahesh Landge tried to stop the transfer. Also, former ruling BJP leader Namdev Dhaka and some former corporators have directly demanded Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to block Patil’s transfer. In this regard, the decision of Commissioner Patil’s transfer was published in some media as ‘Hold’. However, there is a message from the senior level that the decision or order made by the state government regarding the transfer cannot be canceled or will not be appropriate. So how successful are the efforts of the leaders of various political parties including the BJP to prevent the transfer of Patil? It will be interesting to see.