Panvel Municipal Corporation chief transferred, setback to citizens’ fight over dual tax

Sudhakar Deshmukh has been sent to Bhiwandi-Nizampur civic body (right) Ganesh Deshmukh will now take charge of Panvel civic body

The citizens' fight against the Panvel Municipal Corporation over property tax has suffered another blow, with the sudden transfer of the civic body chief to Bhiwandi-Nizampur Municipal Corporation.

Ganesh Deshmukh, who was instrumental in getting the property tax resolution passed in 2019, will now take charge of PMC again. Less than two weeks ago, deputy commissioner Sanjay Shinde, who was in-charge of the property tax matter, was shunted out. The transfers come at a time when CM Uddhav Thackeray has said that such decisions are on hold.

Residents of Kamothe, Kharghar and other areas under the corporation are opposed to the levying of property tax with retrospective effect on the grounds that they have already paid service charges to CIDCO and the exercise amounts to double taxation.

"The transfer of PMC Commissioner Sudhakar Deshmukh, who has not even completed one year, is unbelievable. And the commissioner [Ganesh Deshmukh] under whose tenure the resolution to collect double taxation was approved has been brought back itself speaks volumes," said Ramesh Prabhu, founder chairman of MahaSeWA (Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association).

Prabhu said the residents had raised the grievance with local MP Shrirang Barne who has promised help. Prabhu said they hope the new PMC chief will take proactive measures.

Mangal Kamble, founder President of Swachh Kharghar Foundation, too expressed shock over the transfer. She said, "Sudhakar Deshmukh had promised us that he would have a meeting with the MD of CIDCO and resolve this issue. Hope all these transfers don't take a political twist."

"As the previous commissioner has been brought back within about a year, we can only hope against hope that this move augurs well for us, stemming from the fact that he was in the complete know of our grouses from before," said Binu Thankappan, a representative of Societies Chairman's Association, Kharghar.

Senior advocate Vinod Sampat, founder president of Cooperative Societies Residents' Association, called the state of affairs a bureaucratic mess and that citizens have been made the scapegoat. He opined that the residents should pay under protest and move court otherwise PMC will add 24 per cent interest on the tax in case of non-payment.

"The need of the day is a joint meeting of seniors of both the departments, preferably through the intervention of the chief minister," he said. "It is surprising that the local politicians accepted PMC's submission at the proposal stage."

Sampat said, "Shunting out some bureaucrat from one department to another and again bringing the real officers is nothing but administrative weakness, when it is a settled position that as far as possible the posting should not be disturbed for three years." He also slammed top CIDCO officials for showing no concern towards the residents.

What the MP says

MP Barne said minister Shinde assured him that he would speak to PMC and CIDCO officials soon to resolve the matter. He too disagreed with the levying of charges by PMC from 2016, particularly when CIDCO still controls water, roads, sewage and many other amenities. He said, "I have learnt that even PMC was not serious about taking complete handover from CIDCO, as they continued citing excuses - of not having manpower, funds, etc."

Asked if the abrupt transfer of PMC commissioner was an attempt to mislead the residents, Barne said, "These are administrative decisions and somewhere we feel the levying of double tax by the local corporation is not correct and this issue will get resolved soon."

Won't be easy for new chief

PMC insiders said the new commissioner, despite his earlier role in the property tax episode, won't find it easy to get it implemented, particularly because the issue has already been politicised.