Odisha: CMC commissioner’s ‘fond’ remark gets him locked in office

CUTTACK: Cuttack Municipal Corporation (CMC) commissioner Nikhil Pawan Kalyan has landed in a soup after allegedly passing an objectionable remark on a lady corporator during a meeting held here recently. Corporators cutting across party lines have threatened to boycott the upcoming CMC council meeting if Kalyan is not transferred immediately.

As per reports, the commissioner had issued a transfer order of junior engineers, assistant engineers and implementation experts of CMC’s MUKTA scheme by inter-changing their wards on November 24. The move did not go down well with the corporators who said the engineers’ new assignments would hamper development and welfare activities as it would take some time for them to get familiar with the new localities.

The corporators met Kalyan on Thursday urging him to revoke to order. When the commissioner refused to relent, the corporators argued with him. The situation turned ugly when Kalyan allegedly misbehaved with senior BJD corporator of ward no 46 Pralaya Beura asking her why she was fond of the junior engineer of her ward. Irked over the remark, the corporators locked the gate of the CMC office and sat on dharna demanding Kalyan’s transfer. The stalemate continued for around one hour after which Kalyan and Cuttack mayor Subhas Singh assured the corporators that the order for transfer of engineers will be kept in abeyance. The corporators then called off their agitation.

Beura said Kalyan’s comments on a lady corporator does not befit his post. “He (Kalyan) should apologise and transferred immediately for his misconduct,” she said. BJP corporator Gagan Ojha said the corporators had recommended shifting of some junior engineers. But the mass transfer will further delay development works across the city as it will take some time for the engineers to get acquainted with their new places of posting, he said. Similarly, Congress corporator Santosh Bhol said instead of recommending transfer of senior executive engineers who have not been moved from the civic body’s engineering section for the last 15-20 years, the commissioner inter-changed the junior engineers’ wards. the move will hamper development works in the city, he said.

While efforts to elicit response from Kalyan on the matter proved futile, Singh termed the situation a result of some misunderstanding. “The commissioner’s transfer is not in my hand. However, I am trying to have a discussion with the corporators and the commissioner to settle the issue amicably,”he said.