Mumbai: The BJP-led government, in an apparent snub to ally Shiv Sena, has appointed IAS officer Sanjay Sethi as the chairman of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC). This is the first time that an IAS officer will helm one of the important public undertakings with a presence across the state.
The notification was issued by the Transport Department, headed by Pratap Sarnaik, a Shiv Sena member in the Mahayuti government. According to a long-established convention, the MSRTC is headed by a political appointee, usually an MLA from the ruling side, while the managing director is its ex-officio vice chairman.
The appointment of Sethi, who is also the additional chief secretary of the Transport Department, will come as a jolt to the Shiv Sena and its leader, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He was heading the Transport Department and MSRTC in the previous government.
Sena member and MLA Bharat Gogawale was chairman for a brief period before the assembly election. Following his induction in the Cabinet, Gogawale vacated the chair of the MSRTC.
A decision, taken under the leadership of Shinde and Gogawale, to wet lease buses on contract became controversial with allegations of corruption to the tune of Rs 2,000 crore. It was considered a huge financial burden for the state body. Gogawale had denied the charges of corruption in taking buses on wet leases from three private entities.
It was also assumed that the Shiv Sena might keep the crucial cooperation with it by ensuring the appointment of one of its party leaders. But it seems that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis prevailed and ensured the appointment of an IAS, sources in Mantralaya said. It is a clear indication that the BJP wanted an upper hand while making important decisions.
The sources also point out that another important development in the MSRTC may not go unchecked, which is the development of a 1,360 hectare land parcel of the PSU. Sarnaik, while participating in a programme in Thane, asked CREDAI, a body of real estate developers, to offer suggestions on developing the land parcels that currently house bus depots and bus stands of the MSRTC.
