Pen-down strike in NMC after Datke ‘abuses’ senior official

Nagpur: The officials and employees of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) resorted to a pen-down strike after former mayor and MLC Pravin Datke allegedly used abusive language against assistant director of town planning Pramod Gawande.
Barring essential services of water supply, health, and fire and emergency services department, all NMC officials and employees observed the pen-down strike. Work at its headquarters and all 10 zonal offices remained affected.
Reacting to the incident, 15 officials, who were on deputation on various posts, wrote to the principal secretary of urban development department and expressed reluctance to work in NMC anymore, where an elected representative like Datke issues threatening messages. “We should be relieved soon from NMC and transferred to our respective mother departments,” said the letter.
A delegation of officials, including additional municipal commissioners Ram Joshi and Sanjay Nipane, deputy municipal commissioners Mahesh Moroney and S Jaidev, assistant municipal commissioners Harish Raut and Vijay Humne, superintending engineers from water works and public works departments Shweta Banerjee and Manoj Talewar among others met mayor Sandip Joshi and condemned the incident. They also demanded the mayor take action against Datke.
They also informed the mayor that henceforth no civic official will attend a meeting convened by any elected representative.
Surendra Thingne, president of Rashtriya Nagpur Corporation Employees Association, said that on Monday morning Datke had called Gawande and asked him to visit a site in south Nagpur. The latter refused to visit the site citing his busy schedule, and Datke allegedly used abusive language.
Gawande met municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe and narrated the episode.
Speaking to TOI, Datke admitted to have used some untoward words. “But as soon I realized, I tendered an immediate apology,” he said. He further explained that he had just requested Gawande to visit a state government funded road construction site in Narsala, which falls under the prabhag of senior BJP corporator Swati Akhatkar.
Akhatkar told TOI that former district guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had sanctioned state government funds for construction of a wide road from Narsala to Besa power substation. Despite the sanctioned 19-metre-wide road, the town planning department had reportedly given building plan sanction to a person, who blocked the road widening project at Narsala area.
“I discussed the issue with Gawande and requested him to visit the site as widening of the road was necessary due to increase in vehicular population,” she said. But Gawande was dilly-dallying, she said. On Monday morning too, she requested him but in vain and then she contacted BJP city president Pravin Datke, who started a conference call.
He too urged Gawande to visit the site at once. “Though Gawande refused to visit the site, I did not hear any abusive language used by Datke against him,” she claimed.
Later, Datke released a video statement and said he had not used any abusive language. He said he would continue to raise his voice for citizens’ issues.
Ruling party leader Sandip Jadhav said in the past too similar altercations have occurred between elected representatives and officials. “Even the mayor tendered an apology on behalf of Datke. But never has such an agitation taken place,” he said, and claimed municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe was the brain behind the strike.
Meanwhile, in the evening, Youth Congress activists staged a protest against Datke and extended their support to Gawande. The activists also “purified NMC headquarters” by sprinkling Ganga water.