Ex-Amravati, Solapur civic chief found guilty of breaching privilege

Chandrakant Gudewar

Chandrakant Gudewar

Nagpur: Chandrakant Gudewar, a senior bureaucrat and ex-municipal commissioner of Amravati and Solapur, has been found guilty of breaching MLA privilege during his tenure in Amravati for bypassing a local legislator in the implementation of a housing project, and recommended one-day House custody against the official. The decision was announced in the Assembly on Thursday by a breach of privilege committee.

Detention for a day
It recommended that Gudewar be asked to appear before the House and apologise, and then be put under arrest of legislature police for a day. The Chief Secretary has been asked to reprimand the officer. As punishment, Gudewar will be detained for a day in the legislature and denied executive posting till his retirement. Protesting the action, Gudewar announced his voluntary retirement from the state services. He is currently serving as deputy commissioner (rural development) in Pune.

Gudewar has been asked to appear before the House during the next session. He will be put under detention for a day on the Vidhan Bhavan premises. Gudewar told media in Pune that the committee did not hear him. He said he would retire rather than continue serving the state government.

The accusations
According to the report, Gudewar, who was Municipal Commissioner at Amravati between May 2015 and May 2016, completely ignored local MLA Sunil Deshmukh (BJP) while finalising the list of beneficiaries of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). He did not take into cognisance the suggestions made by Deshmukh, neglected his views and drafted the list and sent it to the state government. Later, Gudewar even went on to address the media and boast that he did not consult the elected representatives.

Deshmukh said Gudewar told him that his advice or suggestions were not required and dared him to challenge his decision. "The officer made defamatory statements in the media when I wrote to him in protest. He went on making unwarranted remarks against me," Deshmukh told mid-day. A peeved Deshmukh filed a notice against Gudewar in March, following which the committee held 17 meetings where they were cross-examined. "I asked the officer to prove the charges against me. I produced documentary evidence that proved the officer's malafide intention," said Deshmukh.

Controversial tenure
A state service officer, Gudewar was due to get elevated to the IAS when he was appointed the Amravati municipal commissioner. His tenure in Solapur, too, was as controversial because of his decisions. But the officer found support in the both cities when people and activists protested his transfers.

In Thursday's move, it was decided to make note of the officer's 'notorious' acts in his annual confidential reports, which form the basis of further promotions. The legislature directed the government not to appoint Gudewar in any executive position.

With Agency inputs