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Pune observes bandh to support Bhatia

Michael Gonsalves in Pune

Pune observed a bandh today in protest against the transfer of Arun Bhatia to the Archives Department, even as Ratnakar Gaikwad replaced the controversial municipal commissioner in the Pune Municipal Corporation.

The bandh, called by the Pune Nagrik Kruti Samiti (PNKS) of Avinash Dharmadhikari, a former IAS officer himself, was supported by the National Society for Clean Cities, the Kothrud Nagrik Vikas Samiti, the Kothrud Kachara Depot Hatav Samiti, the Blue Cross, the Federation of Organization of Handicap, the Express Citizens Forum, the Chanakya Mandal and the Dalit Cobra. The protesters also took out a morcha to the Pune Municipal Corporation headquarters where a memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister Narayan Rane was handed over to Gaikwad.

Addressing protestors outside the PMC headquarters, Dharmadhikari vowed that the people of Pune would force the government to reinstate Bhatia in the Pune Municipal Corporation once again. Only two months back the Bombay High Court had ruled against an attempt by the state government to transfer Bhatia to the Archives Department.

''The people of this city will teach a lesson to all these elected corporators who have voted out Bhatia in the coming elections to the corporation,'' said Dharmadhikari. A no-confidence motion was passed against Bhatia in the PMC on Wednesday. The same evening the government decided to transfer him.

"The transfer of honest and upright officers like Bhatia stinks of a high-level conspiracy to throttle the bureaucracy, '' Dharmadhikari said, adding that the haste shown by the government in replacing Bhatia was indicative of its eagerness to get rid of him. "If the government showed the same lightening speed in development works it could transform Maharashtra,'' he said.

Though the bandh today got a good response, the vehicular traffic in the city was normal. Buses of the Pune Municipal Corporation and contract buses, carrying office-goers, were not affected. Autorickshaws too plied normally. However, a majority of the petrol pumps were shut.

The PNKS has also decided to file a writ petition in the Bombay High Court challenging the legality of the no-confidence motion that ousted Bhatia, besides launching a signature campaign in the city.

Jyotsna Sahane, an activist supporting Bhatia said: "We will seek legal action and also follow up the FIRs lodged by Bhatia to clean the rot set in the Pune Municipal Corporation."

Bhatia, when contacted today, said he was overwhelmed by the public support. "I do not know how to thank the citizens now that they are once again rallying around me, trying their best to get me reinstated," he said. He pointed out that ever since his ouster people from all walks of like, including slum-dwellers, had been visiting him to extend their support.

"It is this support, which I had never received in my entire life as a bureaucrat, that gives me the courage to continue my fight to root out corruption in government administration and empower the poor," he said.

Meanwhile, the new municipal commissioner, who revoked the suspension orders of 20 officials in PMC, including Pune city engineer Madhav Harihar, on assuming charge on Thursday said: "I promise to the citizens complete transparency in the functioning of the corporation, access to information on all important issues and stern action to curb corruption in the administration."

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