Thane Civic Body Takes Strict Action Against Errant Officials
In a decisive move to curb rising inefficiency and public neglect, the senior administration of the Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has issued a stringent circular aimed at tightening discipline across all its departments, including the headquarters. This action comes after repeated complaints from citizens and political representatives about officials being consistently unavailable and failing to address public grievances.
Mounting Complaints Force Administration's Hand
The administration received numerous reports highlighting several serious issues. These included irregular attendance by officials, their unexplained unavailability during duty hours, a blatant disregard for meeting and listening to the public, and repeated violations of the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
Illustrating the problem, MNS Thane-Palghar party president Avinash Jadhav shared a recent incident where an on-duty official allegedly left his post without informing visitors to attend a marriage function in the city, despite being deployed on crucial work.
Echoing this experience, Thane Congress spokesperson Rahul Pingale stated he faced a similar situation where a senior official refused to grant him time or listen to his complaints, even after the intervention of a senior bureaucrat.
"Imagine the Plight of the Common Man": A Representative's Ordeal
Pingale revealed that he decided to approach the senior administration after receiving numerous complaints from residents. He pointed out how the functioning of a select few officers was causing significant inconvenience to citizens and damaging the corporation's reputation.
"I personally experienced officials remaining unavailable and leaving offices without prior intimation during duty hours," Pingale said. He added that many often failed to grant timely hearings, excusing their absence as a random site visit, and also avoided disclosing crucial information which was not uploaded on the TMC website, thereby eroding public trust.
"If we, as political representatives, face this type of treatment, one can imagine the plight of the common man who often has to take leave to reach out to municipal offices to seek redressal of their grievances," he emphasized, highlighting the severity of the issue for the average citizen.
Official Directive and Public Reaction
Responding to these concerns, Additional commissioner-2 Prashant Rode issued an official notice directing all officials to strictly comply with established norms and to prioritize citizens and the redressal of their grievances.
Meanwhile, civic activists have welcomed this disciplinary move. One activist noted, "The circular shows the administration has served a warning to such errant staff that future negligence may invite action." This step is seen as a crucial first move towards restoring accountability and efficiency within the Thane Municipal Corporation.
