Politicians’ tour amid garbage crisis draws flak; mayor says he went to pray

AURANGABAD: In a show of sheer insensitivity towards the city’s garbage crisis, several people’s representatives including MLAs, MP, mayor and corporators, accompanied industrialists, on Friday have embarked on a tour to destinations in North India in a couple of private charter planes.
Citizens from several walks of life have raised questions over this approach especially that of mayor and corporators, leaving the city at God’s mercy.The MLAs and MLC on tour are skipping the on-going assembly session in Mumbai.
The three-day long tour started on Friday morning from Aurangabad and a crowd comprising about 350 people, a majority of them couples, under the banner of A to Z group boarded the two chartered flights having capacity of 170 seats each.
The list of peoples’ representatives that are part of the troupe include Mayor Nandkumar Ghodele, BJP corporator and former deputy mayor Pramod Rathod, Shiv Sena corporator Vikas Jain, Sena MLA Sanjay Shirsat, BJP MLA Atul Save, BJP corporator Raju Shinde, Congress MLC Subhash Zambad, Sena MP Chandrakatn Khaire, his son and corporator Rishikesh, NCP office bearer Abhijit Deshmukh, Jalna’s former Congress MLA Kailash Gorantyal and Sena minister Arjun Khotkar and former MLC and incumbent BJP district chief Kishanchand Tanwani.
When contacted Aurangabad mayor Nandkumar Ghodele, he said, “We have come to Amritsar to pray at Golden Temple so that our all the problems and issues of Aurangabad city get resolved. We never run from challenges including the garbage crisis. Here we will visit Wagah border and come back in a day.”
MP Khaire confirmed about their visit to Wagah border and Amritsar in Punjab and termed the visit to be a personal affair.
A corporator, who is part of the troupe, said, “It is not necessary for us to stay back in the city for resolving of the issue. We can monitor it even while not being in the city.”
Activists as well as citizens have castigated the act of the politicians. Economist and professor HM Desarda said, “It is the most scandalous, irresponsible and unethical on the part of public representatives to go on a voyage at such a situation. We are at the verge of health emergency, they should have avoided going on the tour and should have been in the city and played role in the resolving of the issue.”
Aurangabad central MLA Imtiaz Jaleel said, “Even I was invited, but I preferred attending assembly session and raising common man’s issues. It appears to be an irresponsible act by the peoples representatives from the city.”