Note concerned of the election code of conduct and vital issues pending for discussions , members waste monthly general body meeting

Keeping aside all the vital issues on the agenda for the day and showing least concern for the limited time the present house has to discuss public issues, the monthly general body meeting of NMMC saw members spending over 4 hours on a felicitation proposal for Navi Mumbai’s first MP Dr. Sanjeev Naik. While one wouldn’t dispute that the MP deserved being honored, the time spent on doing the honors is something the corporators should have thought about.

Navi Mumbai’s first Mayor Dr. Sanjeev Naik is also Navi Mumbai’s first MP; hence it was apparent that this feat called for a felicitation proposal to honor MP Dr. Sanjeev Naik in NMMC. And the general body did – this week. Corporators from all parties praised MP Dr. Sanjeev Naik to the T for becoming the first MP from Navi Mumbai. Beyond any doubt MP Dr. Sanjeev Naik’s victory in the Thane constituency called for this recognition of his work, achievement and win but the hours that the members chose to spend over a felicitation proposal keeping aside all public work proposal on the agenda came as a major disappointment. The general body meetings are held once in a month and this was the first general body meeting of NMMC after Lok Sabha elections. It’s not like the corporators are unaware of how crucial it is to not waste any general body meetings because assembly elections are due soon. Once the election code of conduct comes into effect for the assembly elections, the general body meetings will not be conducted again. This would mean that several of the major public work that are on the agenda will either get less time for discussions or no time at all. This includes the hawker’s policy and major amendments in the development draft of NMMC that is likely to impact the infrastructure across the city. Besides this there were several other public work and questions of corporators that that were on the agenda but not showing a couldn’t-care-less-attitude, members chose to spend over 4 hours in one felicitation proposal. This despite the fact that members had spent another two hours on the same felicitation proposal in the special general body meeting held earlier this month. Such conduct of corporators in the house calls for norms or rules being put in place to limit time on felicitation and condolence proposals in the house so that justice can be done to the issues of public interest and welfare.