Mundhe cracks whip on corrupt Navi Mumbai civic officials

Coming down heavily on the corrupt and the inefficient, municipal commissioner Tukaram Mundhe suspended four more Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) officials on Friday.

Ever since Mundhe took over as the civic chief, he has taken action against six officials so far, including assessor and collector of property tax department Prakash Kulkarni, who was suspended a couple of days ago for alleged administrative irregularities.

The officials suspended on Friday are assistant municipal commissioners Sahebrao Gaikwad and Balkrishna Patil, office superintendent Balkrushna Patil and clerk Subhash Sonawane. These officials have been suspended since they are found guilty in the inquiry reports of 2012, 2013 and 2014.

Such strict action by Mundhe has sent shivers down the spine of corrupt officials in the civic body. Speaking to dna, Mundhe said: "Honest, efficient and result-oriented officials have nothing to fear but those indulging in dishonest practices have a reason to worry."

Mundhe, who was earlier posted as Solapur district collector, had taken on powerful politicians, the land and sand mafias of the region and is known as a no-nonsense officer in the circles.

After taking over as Navi Mumbai civic body chief, Mundhe has launched a series of citizen-friendly initiatives to bring in transparency in the functioning of the civic body.