Mayor Murlidhar Mohol

Mayor Murlidhar Mohol has urged the Maharashtra government to allow the Pune Municipal Corporation to hold meetings where civic officers and members of civic panels are physically present. Social distancing and other safety norms will be followed at such meetings, he said.

To ensure that civic bodies continue functioning normally during the pandemic, the state government had allowed them to hold online meetings of general body and other panels, comprising elected representatives as its members. It is mandatory to hold civic meetings within a stipulated time, and the state government had urged civic bodies to hold meetings through video conferencing.

In a communication to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and state Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde, Mayor Murlidhar Mohol said while the PMC has started holding meetings of general body and other committees through video conferencing, there have been disturbances due to technical issues.

“… The voices of civic officers are not clearly audible. There are problems with internet connectivity and the meetings are not held properly. It is possible for PMC to hold meetings by ensuring social distancing… and the state government should give permission for the same,” he said.