The Maharashtra government appointed BMC commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal as the administrator of the civic body on Tuesday after its five-year term ended on Monday.
On Monday, the Maharashtra Legislature passed a bill in both houses to amend the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act 1888, enabling the appointment of an administrator to the civic body. The administrator will look after the administrative and financial functioning of the civic body.
Chahal has been directed to take charge immediately and all the powers of 227 corporators will be vested in him.
The last time the BMC appointed an administrator was in 1984 when a similar situation of postponement of elections occurred.
A 1989 batch IAS officer of Maharashtra cadre, Chahal has served Government of Maharashtra and India in various capacities. He was the principal secretary of the urban development department before taking up the role of BMC chief from Praveen Pardeshi in May 2020.
It will take a couple of days to “set things up”, said the newly appointed administrator.
On the first day as administrator, Chahal chaired a special meeting with additional commissioners, deputy municipal commissioners and department heads in BMC to take stock of monsoon preparedness and directed various departments to undertake work on time.
The roads department has been assigned a deadline of May 15 before which work has to be concluded and the BEST has been asked to stay vigilant regarding electric supply during rains.
Besides, the BMC administrator also directed the civic body to coordinate with MMRDA regarding ongoing metro work vis-a-vis monsoon and waterlogging.
An update will be periodically given regarding desilting of stormwater drains, management at waterlogging spots, pruning of trees for monsoon, among other work.
“The term of the 227 corporators elected in 2017 will end on midnight of March 7. Corporators will not hold offices like that of the standing committee, improvement committee, law committee chairmen, ward committees and tree authority office of Mayor, among others,” Additional Municipal Commissioner Suresh Kakani, in charge of the civic election department, had said on Monday.
Following the 2017 elections, the 227 corporators had held their first general body meeting on March 8, 2017. These corporators who had their first meeting on March 8, 2017 will now be known as former corporators.
All committees, including the statutory standing committee as well as improvement and law committees, will now cease to exist.
BMC officials said that the administrator could appoint a committee comprising four additional commissioners for assistance. There will be no changes in tabling proposals. Like in the 27-member Standing Committee meeting, each department head will present the case to the administrator and the concerned deputy municipal commissioner and ward officers will be invitees. The administrator will have the deciding voice in approving a proposal.
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