Gaya mayor to move court against govt notice

GAYA: A somewhat defiant Gaya Mayor VibhaDevi has decided not to respond to the show cause notice and instead challenge the urban development department in the court.
According to the mayor, the show-cause notice served on her, besides being illegal, smacked of vendetta and decided not to take things lying down. Claiming that she has done no wrong, the mayor alleged that a section of municipal corporators were trying to bully her but she would not succumb to such pressure tactics. "I will challenge the urban development department show cause in the Patna High Court," said Vibha Devi.
The mayor maintained that everything has been done in accordance with rules and regulations in a democratic manner and if any wrong has been committed, the standing committee as a whole was responsible for it as she has taken no decision individually.
Earlier, the urban development department issued a notice to Gaya Mayor Vibha Devi asking her to show cause as to why she should not be removed from her post for acts of omission and commission. The notice was issued under section 25 (5) of the Bihar Municipal Act, 2007. The act empowers the state government to order the removal of mayor on specific charges. The mayor was directed to make a point-wise response to the 23 charges levelled against her within 15 days. The deadline fixed by the department ends on August 22, 2013.
The urban development department show cause referred to the petition submitted by a group of municipal corporators alongwith documents to show that the mayor was guilty of misconduct and wrong-doing. While seeking point-wise response from the mayor, the department also enclosed copy of the petition submitted by the corporators.
The charges against the mayor include willful delay in the constitution of the standing committee of the municipal body in violation of the rules, bungling in the installation of handpumps in different wards, anomalies in the award of contract, misuse of authority, interference in the corporation's functioning by the mayor's husband and tampering of the corporation minute book.
Another charge on which the urban development department served show cause notice to the mayor pertained to the award of contract to the mayor's brother-in-law (husband's brother) in violation of the norms. The mayor is also alleged to have committed wrongs in the appointment of contract teachers. The show cause also referred to the allegation made by some municipal corporation engineers who accused the mayor's husband of threatening the engineers.