The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s Standing Committee meeting turned contentious after corporators alleged that Municipal Commissioner Vijay Suryawanshi avoided the meeting despite being present at the civic headquarters, while a proposal involving payment adjustments worth Rs 60 crore was before the panel.
The meeting was held on Wednesday, with the Standing Committee scheduled to consider an increase or reduction in payments made to contractors through 14 disputed items. The total value of the bills was reported at Rs 60 crore 18 lakh 68 thousand. The report did not provide further details about the nature of the items or the contractors involved.
Financial and Accounts Officer Satyawan Ubale and Commissioner Suryawanshi were not present when the matter came up for discussion. Additional Commissioner Vikrant Bagade told the committee that the commissioner attended meetings when he was present in the municipal corporation building.
Corporator Sulabha Ubale then drew attention to the commissioner’s absence. According to the report, corporators sent an employee to the fourth floor to confirm whether Suryawanshi was in his office. After confirming that he was at the headquarters, the corporators objected to his not attending the committee meeting.
Members from different political parties alleged that the commissioner repeatedly avoided Standing Committee meetings and did not provide answers to the panel. They also alleged that he did not meet corporators or citizens and did not give them appointments. The corporators demanded that he be called to the meeting immediately and insisted that proceedings be adjourned until he appeared.
The committee’s chairperson did not adjourn the meeting. Instead, the report said, the chairperson continued the proceedings and completed the meeting’s business. The corporators also demanded that Financial and Accounts Officer Satyawan Ubale be called before the committee, as he too was absent while the payment-related proposal was under consideration.
The dispute places the Standing Committee at the centre of a municipal accountability question: how proposals involving large contractor payments are examined when the senior administrative officers responsible for the civic machinery and financial oversight are not present. The available report, however, does not establish whether the proposal was ultimately approved, modified or rejected, nor does it provide the commissioner’s explanation for not attending the meeting.
The report also does not identify the specific contracts, works or payment heads covered by the Rs 60.18 crore proposal. Further details on the 14 disputed items, the committee’s final decision and any formal response from the commissioner or the finance department remain awaited.
