‘Phatak gives rules a thumbs down, rides in a costly car’

His Honda City costs more than the limit prescribed for an IAS officer of his rank

Jairaj Phatak, the new Municipal Commissioner of BMC, is known as an upright, straightforward and rule-abiding officer. Before taking over as the civic body chief, Phatak in his capacity as principal secretary of Urban Development Department, had filed an affidavit in the Bombay High Court that the state government would implement its own guidelines about the kind of cars to be used by the ministers, bureaucrats and other dignitaries.

But, as the municipal commissioner, he is using the car — Honda City VTEC, which he should not be using as it costs much more than the limit prescribed for the IAS officer of the rank of principal secretary. Same is the case of car that BMC Mayor Shubha Raul is using.

It too costs more than the prescribed limit specified by the government. The government on October 3, 2003, had issued a resolution giving guidelines for buying cars for various dignitaries.

This issue hit the headlines when a resident of Pune, Sunil Shegaonkar, moved HC seeking criminal action against Municipal Corporation of Pimpri-Chinchwad, the mayor, municipal commissioner and chairman of the Standing Committee, for buying a Toyota Corolla priced between Rs9.66 lakh and Rs11.23 lakh.