RTI Reveals 225 BMC Engineers Linked to Political Recommendations for Transfers
A list containing alleged political recommendations for the transfer of 225 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officers and employees has come to light in Mumbai through a Right to Information (RTI) query. The details, obtained by RTI activist Anil Galgali from the BMC's Office of the City Engineer, link various engineering staff with ministers, Members of Parliament, Members of the Legislative Assembly, Deputy Mayors, and corporators.
The list specifically covers civic personnel holding the posts of Assistant Engineer (AE), Sub Engineer (SE), Executive Engineer (EE), and Junior Engineer (JE) during this year.
According to an analysis of the RTI data shared by Galgali, the names of several political figures appear multiple times alongside employee records. Eknath Shinde’s name appears the most, with 10 mentions, followed by Ramdas Athawale, whose name appears nine times. The names of Girish Mahajan and Kalidas Kolambkar are listed seven times each.
The names of Mangesh Kudalkar, Anna Bansode, and Tukaram Kate appear six times each, while Murji Patel and Dilip Lande appear five times each. The list also includes Narahari Zirwal, Sumit Wankhede, Rahul Shewale, Prakash Surve, Indranil Naik, Santosh Bangar, Ram Kadam, Kishan Kathore, and Bachchu Kadu four times each.
Other public representatives named include Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Hasan Mushrif, Bharatseth Gogawale, Uday Samant, Parinay Fuke, Ravindra Waikar, Prasad Lad, Sunil Prabhu, Mahesh Sawant, and Pravin Darekar, who appear three times each. The names of Prataprao Jadhav, Pankaja Munde, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Raosaheb Danve, Sanjay Ghadi, Rahul Narwekar, Jaykumar Gore, and Sana Malik are listed twice each, while Ravindra Chavan, Chandrakant Patil, and Sanjay Bansode appear once each.
Highlighting the findings, Galgali stated that municipal transfers are expected to be conducted based on administrative requirements, seniority, and transparent criteria. He added that the Municipal Commissioner is expected to take disciplinary action in accordance with existing rules against officers who bring political pressure into the administrative transfer process.
