A dispute with a corporator on a WhatsApp group changed the portfolio of an engineer of the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) within two days. Sawant Patel, who earlier looked after primary civic works like roads, lights, sewers etc., is now tasked with coordinating MP-legislator meetings, “which happen once a month.”
Further, on the orders of Surat City Mayor Dakshesh Mavani, a show-cause notice has been sent to Patel on the official WhatsApp group of Varachha East region for his “clear reply”.
On Sunday, Swati Kayda, a corporator of ward number 17, uploaded a photo of a drainage line in a housing society of the group. He reportedly asked municipal officials to inform him if they could not do the job properly. In response, Patel said that while his employees are doing their job properly, such false allegations cannot be tolerated. He also said that if the corporators feel that SMC officials are not working, they should be transferred or suspended.
The WhatsApp chats went viral on social media and angered Mayor Mawani among people associated with the SMC on Monday, sources said. In the show-cause notice issued on Tuesday, the Warachah area chief has asked Patel to respond within 10 days. Speaking to The Indian Express, Mavani said, ‘We have asked the Zonal Head of Varachha to issue a show cause notice to the engineer, seek his reply and change the work portfolio. This WhatsApp group is created for friendly relations between elected leaders and administrative officials. Such an answer cannot be entertained, so we have ordered him to take strict action. “
Engineer Patel said, ‘I was posted in Varachha zone four months ago. Earlier I was working in the head office of the drainage department. We are trying our best to solve people’s problems. My heart broke when I was accused of not being able to work in John. So, I wrote it clearly.”
Confirming the show-cause notice and the change of department, he said, ‘I was made an official in the coordination meeting of MPs-Samana, which I hold once a month.
On the drainage issue that sparked the row, Patel said, “On checking the area where the gate water overflowed, I found that the jurisdiction lies with another engineer. This area does not come under my jurisdiction.”
Notably, there are various WhatsApp groups of elected corporators, zonal office bearers, political leaders, mayors and deputy mayors and chairman members of standing committees in all the eight zones of SMC.
The groups were created a few years ago to address public problems shared by the zonal authorities and municipal corporators in the group.
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