Civic chief gets three-month extension

MUMBAI: A three-month extension to retiring municipal commissioner Subodh Kumar appears to be a mere formality as chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has already submitted a comprehensive proposal to the Centre for the purpose.
“Since the election process for the BMC polls was declared a week ago, it was felt that for continuity of administration, extension should be granted to Subodh Kumar.Accordingly, a proposal justifying the extension to the municipal commissioner has been submitted to the Centre. We expect the approval in a day or two,’’ a senior bureaucrat told TOI on Thursday.
Subodh Kumar, a trusted bureaucrat of Chavan and an IAS officer of the 1977 batch, is due to retire on January 31.
“No doubt there is no precedent of granting extension to the municipal commissioner, but it was felt that in view of the impending civic polls, he should be given three months’ extension,’’ he said.
As civic chief, Subodh Kumar was instrumental in drafting the much delayed development control rules, a comprehensive report on coastal road policy and development plan garden and market and new lease policy for BMC lands, too, is on the cards.
In the event that Chavan’s proposal is accepted, which is now a formality, Subodh Kumar will be the first civic chief to get an extension.