Public pressure works, Kishore Gandhi to be reinstated

Bowing to the pressure of corporators and civic activists, the transfer of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) assistant commissioner Kishore Gandhi from the R/C ward has finally been cancelled.

He would continue to be the ward officer of Borivali area, along with holding the additional charge of encroachment of removal department (eastern suburbs). On Thursday night, Mr Gandhi was suddenly transferred to the removal of encroachment department. Corporators had alleged that he was shifted to the other department for taking action against the illegal constructions of people connected to BJP leaders.

The corporators had held protests outside the R/C ward office on Friday over the abrupt transfer of Mr Gandhi. Taking note of this, mayor Snehal Ambekar and house leader Trishna Vishwasrao met them on late Tuesday evening. “Mayor spoke to the municipal commissioner, who assured her to revoke Mr Gandhi’s transfer till the BMC elections. He would continue to be the assistant commissioner of R/C ward and also hold the additional charge of encroachment of removal department,” said former mayor and Shiv Sena corporator Dr Shubha Raul.

“It’s a big victory to all the corporators and citizens for fighting against corruption to ensure the reinstatement of an upright officer,” said Sheetal Mhatre, a Shiv Sena leader.

However, according to the civic sources, the reinstatement order of Mr Gandhi has not been issued yet. A senior civic official said that no such order has been issued so far. When contacted, Mr Gandhi said, “I have not received any such order for reinstatement, but I have not been relieved from the post also as no official has come up for taking the charge of my post.”