Thane Municipal Corporation chief blames mayor for crushing his Liverpool dreams

Sanjeev Jaiswal releases press note alleging Mayor did not sanction funds for his trip to a business exhibit in the UK; Mayor says she didn't receive request in general body meeting

Thane Municipal Commissioner (TMC) Sanjeev Jaiswal is airing his dirty laundry in public after being denied funds for a trip to Liverpool. He released a press note on Saturday night alleging Mayor Minakshi Shinde did not sanction the amount he needed to go for a big business exhibition in Liverpool, where he wanted to present a start-up idea he had in mind for TMC.

As per the press note, Jaiswal wanted to set up the start-up in Thane and got a chance to go to Liverpool for an international business festival from June 18-22 to showcase his concept. But he needed Rs 8.50 lakh for the trip. Shinde didn't sanction the amount.

Shinde said, "I didn't get the proposal during our general body meeting on May 18. Two days ago, two officers from his team came to me and asked me to sanction the amount and showed an entry made for it in the last general body meeting. It's illegal; that topic was never discussed. Still, I suggested that go ahead with funds from the commissioner's office and said we'll take it up in the next meeting. But then, I saw this press note.

I was astonished with his behaviour. He's done eight foreign trips so far and didn't take permission from me for any of them. Since when did commissioners need permission from the mayor to go on trips anyway?

"If he felt my decision was wrong, he should have discussed it with me. But he blamed me in the press note. He's an IAS officer, not a child to crib like this. He could have used the commissioner's fund. When I got the note, I replied to it saying, I finalise the decision approved by all corporators, so had he presented it to us in the general body meeting, we wouldn't have opposed it." Jaiswal remained unavailable for comment.

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