Aurangabad: Mayor, civic chief forced to leave in autorickshaws

AURANGABAD: People with disabilities seeking honorariums from the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) blocked the vehicles of the mayor and the municipal commissioner after Monday’s general body meeting — forcing both of them to leave in autorickshaws instead.
Following the protest, the municipal corporation released the honorariums of 476 people with disabilities.
Incidentally, the disabled people have been demanding honorariums from the AMC for their welfare and rehabilitation since the past two years. The AMC has even verified the number of registered people with disabilities in its jurisdiction. However, citing poor financial condition, the civic body had not released honorariums to all.
As a result, activists representing the people with disabilities, under the banner of Prahar Apang Kranti Andolan, have been protesting after every general body meeting in past few months.
On Monday, they barged into the AMC compound and raised slogans. When municipal commissioner Astik Kumar Pandey was heading out of the building in his official vehicle, his way was blocked by the agitating crowd. Pandey had to hear out the concerns of the protesters and was forced to leave in an autorickshaw.
A few minutes later, mayor Nandkumar Ghodele’s vehicle too was blocked in a similar fashion, compelling him to take an autorickshaw as well.
Notably, the stir resulted in the municipal corporation immediately releasing the honorariums of 476 people with disabilities.
Apang Kranti Andolan’s Shivaji Gade said that all people with disabilities who were verified by the AMC have received their honorariums. “People with disabilities were informed that this is the last general body meeting before the model code of conduct kicks in for the AMC election, which is why they were persistent that the money is released,” he said.