The Navi Mumbai District Congress has demanded that the Navi Municipal Corporation (NMMC) continue providing vehicles to the officials of the Urban Development Department at the state secretariat office.
Through an Right To Information (RTI) filed by the party last month it has found that the section officers, undersecretaries, and deputy secretaries of the Urban Development Department are allegedly using vehicles provided by NMMC for their daily transportation purposes. “
For whatever reason NMMC had initially provided the service, it is high time the arrangement got revoked now as it is proved to be a burden on the administration,” said the congress spokesperson Ravindra Sawant.
A written request in this regard was submitted to the Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday.
In the letter the party has detailed out about the vehicles used at the department.
Accordingly vehicle number MH 43 BE- 4008 used by a special executive officer in the Urban Development Department from July 2022 to December 2023, is stated to have incurred a fuel cost of ₹1.71 lakh. A Swift Dzire (MH-43 G-403 & MH-43 G-543), used from July 17, 2020, to the present, resulted in ₹3.2 lakh in maintenance costs and ₹40,000 in fuel expenses.
Vehicle (MH-43 G-9900), used since August 2022, led to ₹2.22 lakh in maintenance and ₹6 lakh in fuel expenses. 4. Vehicle (MH-43 G-369), used from August 2019 to January 2023, incurred ₹3.06 lakh in maintenance and ₹6.8 lakh in fuel costs.Vehicle (MH-43 G-336), used from January 2023 to April 2024, led to ₹1 lakh in maintenance and ₹3.6 lakh in fuel costs.
The party has also sought for the full recovery of fuel, maintenance and repair related expenses from the concerned officials “, these municipal vehicles were used unauthorized by secretariat officials who, as per government rules, are not entitled to official vehicles. However, taking advantage of their positions in the Urban Development Department, these officials have gained access to NMMC-owned vehicles,” said Sawant.
He further stated that the expenses for these vehicles, including fuel and repairs, have been borne using tax money collected from the citizens of Navi Mumbai. “Why should Navi Mumbai taxpayers suffer?The costs must be recovered with interest from the responsible officials and transferred back to the municipal corporation,” he said.
The municipal vehicles were purchased using taxpayers’ money, and Congress has questioned how NMMC granted these vehicles to secretariat officials without any formal resolution or approval. It has further criticized the burden placed on municipal funds, stating that neither NMMC nor the citizens of Navi Mumbai should have to bear these unnecessary expenses.
Congress has insisted that all expenses incurred so far on these vehicles be recovered from the concerned officials.
