BJP labels TMC transfers politics of Sena; Panvel wants civic chief back

THANE/NAVI MUMBAI: Panvel municipal commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh, credited with much success in keeping Covid-19 figures low in Panvel, was named an additional municipal commissioner in Thane on Wednesday.
For a second vacancy of additional municipal commissioner in Thane, the government named Sanjay Herwade. The two posts had fallen vacant after the sudden transfer of the incumbents, Rajendra Ahiwar and Sameer Unhale, late on Tuesday.
Herwade had served in the Thane Municipal Corporation as deputy commissioner from 2015 to 2018, handling the estates department before his promotion to commissioner in Marathwada.
There was talk that the rise of Covid-19 in Thane had had a direct bearing on Ahiwar and Unhale's transfers.
The BJP accused the ruling Shiv Sena in the TMC and state of politics over Covid-19. The BJP Thane unit president, MLC Niranjan Davkhare, asked how the abrupt transfers would check the outbreak. "The state government has completely failed to take corrective action and prevent the spread of Covid-19. First, they transferred the BMC chief and now they are doing the same in Thane. It seems the state is indirectly holding these people responsible for the situation, which is wrong," Davkhare said.
Ganesh Deshmukh's place in Panvel was given to Ulhasnagar municipal commissioner Sudhakar Deshmukh. Panvel MLA Prashant Thakur opposed the transfer of Ganesh Deshmukh, writing to the CM that the officer had contained Covid-19 and the move should be stopped. Residents of Kharghar, members of Swach Kharghar Foundation and citizen welfare groups of Kharghar and Taloja also criticised the transfer and asked for Ganesh Deshmukh to be brought back.