After assault on PCMC engineer, civic body officials set in motion process to draw up code of conduct for netas

Conduct Code to leash unruly corporators

After assault on PCMC engineer, civic body officials set in motion process to draw up code of conduct for netas

A DAY after a corporator from the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) beat up a civic engineer, officials of the civic body decided to draft a code of conduct for corporators.

According to the broad agreement reached on the code of conduct, hurling abuses or bashing up people will invite strictures.

The decision to have such a code for PCMC corporators was taken after a meeting held yesterday morning to discuss the issue of corporators mistreating officials.

The meeting was attended by Commissioner Aheesh Sharma, Mayor Yogesh Mangalsen Behl and Leader of Opposition Bhausaheb Bhoir, besides senior PCMC officials from various departments.

The emergency meeting was called after PCMC corporator Surdas Gaikwad physically and verbally abused Vithal Madhik, an engineer working with C-ward (civil) on Tuesday afternoon.

Strict action
"The commissioner assured us that strict action will be taken against Gaikwad," said Bhujbal SP, a junior engineer.

It was also decided that during the planning committee meeting on April 20, all corporators will be informed that they have to be polite with officials and no physical or verbal abuse will be tolerated.

Officials and corporators will also be given written guidelines on proper behaviour within the premises of the PCMC office.

"Though a thorough list has not been made, it has been decided that no one can behave or speak abusively, and if there are certain issues on which there is disagreement, these can be discussed peacefully," said a senior official from the Engineers' Association.

According to the Engineers' Association, the meeting was necessary as similar incidents had occurred in the past without any action following against the guilty party.