Thane bureaucrat draws ire of netas over WhatsApp remarks

THANE: A senior Thane civic corporation bureaucrat has drawn the ire of female corporators after he passed allegedly objectionable remarks about junior colleagues, their female relatives and politicians on a WhatsApp group over an internal transfer.
Excerpts from the conversation were read out before the general body on Thursday, in which the official laments political interference, after which female corporators raised their voice, forcing an adjournment for over an hour. The bureaucrat, on a holiday, had been in the news for being at loggerheads with netas many times.
Deputy commissioner and municipal secretary Ashok Burpulle said the remarks were allegedly made by the bureaucrat on a civic officials' WhatsApp group recently, where he expressed ire over his juniors (including Burpulle) approaching a politician to get their transfer orders reversed. Burpulle read out excerpts in the House after netas asked about the issue, but not before seeking an assurance about his 'safety' from the House. When the administration transferred some officers of the rank of deputy and assistant commissioners last week, some of them allegedly approached a senior politician in Thane and got their orders revoked within 48 hours.
The bureaucrat said that the message was not in a public domain or on social media,, and it was part of an internal communication.