The Indian Express              18.06.2013

Mayors revv up for a ‘costly car seva’ as state govt unfolds bonanza

Pune Municipal Commissioner Uday Tekale on Monday confirmed receiving such a directive from the state government. "I have seen a copy of the government directive. It stipulates that the mayor should get a car worth Rs 15 lakh," Tekale said, adding that they are still studying the order which has defined various parameters for the purchase.

The first to benefit will be the mayor of Pimpri-Chinchwad as the standing committee of the PCMC last week already approved the new car plan for the mayor. The decision has also been approved by Municipal Commissioner Shrikar Pardeshi. When contacted, Pardeshi said, "The mayor has already sought a Corolla Altis, the price of which is around Rs 14.5 lakh. Our earlier ceiling for the mayor's car was Rs 7.5 lakh. This will now be hiked," Pardeshi said.

Welcoming the decision, Pimpri-Chinchwad Mayor Mohini Lande said the government had acted on its own. "We had not placed any such demand," she said. Asked whether she would mind using a costly car, Lande said, "I have been using a car which is nearly 80 years old and is not in good condition. If PCMC buys a new car for me, I won't mind as it would ensure safer travel for me," she said.

The government decision will put, what activists describe as costly "car seva", at the disposal of mayors of 23 municipal corporations, 228 municipal councils and panchayats. According to the directive, mayors of A, B, C category civic bodies will get cars worth Rs 15 lakh. Mayors of "D" category civic bodies and council chiefs of of civic bodies that fall under "A" category will get cars worth Rs 10 lakh instead of Rs 6 lakh. Similarly, council chiefs of "B and "C" civic bodies will get cars worth Rs 5 lakh instead of Rs 9 lakh.

In 2008, the state government had set a limit of Rs 5 lakh for cars for mayors and council chiefs. In 2011, this amount was raised to Rs 7.5 lakh. This has now been raised to Rs 15 lakh.

Slamming the government decision, Maruti Bhapkar of Aam Aadmi Party said, "When lakhs of people, including farmers, in the state are struggling to make both ends meet, such a costly 'car seva' is unwarranted. Using taxpayers' honest money for mayor's benefit is nothing but outright cheating." Bhapkar said PCMC chief should verify the condition of the current mayor's car before thinking of a new one.

Civic activist Vijay Kumbhar said in today's circumstances a car worth Rs 15 lakh for a city mayor should not be turned into a prestige issue. "But, yes, there shouldn't be a new car every time a mayor changes. Besides, mayors should ensure that the car remains in good condition and is used only for official purposes and not for personal use," he said.

Former Pune divisional commissioner Dilip Band too said there was nothing wrong in putting a better car at the disposal of mayors. "It gives comfort and the fuel average of a such cars is always better than less-priced ones," he said.