PUNE: Annoyed with the pandemonium that ensued during the Pune Municipal Corporation
(PMC) general body (GB) meeting, Mayor Vaishali Bankar on Tuesday asked
elected members to “introspect” and improve their behaviour in the
House.

After the meeting started, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena
(MNS) corporators had jumped into the well of the House demanding that
the administration register a police case against NCP MLC Anil Bhosale for threatening additional municipal commissioner Naresh Zurmure.
At the same time, NCP corporators opposed the same. Later, the House
was disrupted again over outsourcing of conservancy services.

“It seems that we are in a fish market. People have elected you all to
represent their issues in the GB meeting. You all should introspect.
Cooperate with me to conduct the House. This is not the way to behave,”
said Bankar.

Amidst the meyhem, MNS corporator Rupali
Thombare-Patil and other MNS corporators took away the mayor’s mace.
Leader of the house Subhash Jagtap ran after them and retrieved the mace.

The meeting, which has the plenary powers to decide on civic issues, is
repeatedly adjourned because of the corporators’ unruly behavior. Every
month, barely three or four GB meetings are held. One or two usually
get postponed either to pay condolences to someone or for reasons like a
wedding of a politician’s relative or a visit from the high command.
During the remaining meetings, a few matters on the agenda are approved,
while the rest are deferred to the next month.