CM picks a ‘clean’ babu as BMC chief

Mumbai: Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday appointed state planning secretary Sitaram Kunte as the new BMC commissioner. A clean image and the Marathi manoos facrace for the coveted civic chief 's post, but Kunte emerged as the personal choice of the chief minister. Chavan expects that Kunte will ensure transparency in the administration and continue with the policies drafted during Kumar's tenure,'' a senior bureaucrat told TOI. Kunte is the youngest commissioner in the municipal corporation's history. 

    Soon after Chavan assumed office in 2010, he had asked Kumar to revise the Development Control rules and curb the efforts of a section of builders. "Chavan expects Kunte too to adhere to his guidelines, so that the powerful builder lobby does not take the aam admi for a ride," he said. tor worked in Kunte's favour over high-profile aspirants. 

    Kunte (51) succeeds veteran bureaucrat Subodh Kumar, whose three-month extension expired on Monday. "It's a fact that some highprofile babus were in the CM wanted chief with BMC stint 

    Amonth ago, when CM Prithviraj Chavan launched a search for a BMC commissioner to replace Subodh Kumar, four names were considered—additional chief secretary T C Benjamin, the CM's principal secretary A K Jain, principal secretary (housing) Gautam Chaterjee and MMRDA commissioner Rahul Asthana. While Kunte belongs to the 1985 batch, Benjamin belongs to the 1979 batch and Jain and Chaterjee to the 1982 batch. 

    On Sunday night, when Chavan began deliberations with chief secretary Ratnakar Gaikwad and other officials in his secretariat, he expressed the view that he was looking for a bureaucrat who has worked in the BMC so that if appointed, he could get on with the job from day one. "Ultimately, Chavan himself shortlisted Kunte's name," a senior bureaucrat said.     Kunte worked in the BMC as joint commissioner in 2000-01 and additional commissioner between 2001 and 2005.

Planning secy Sitaram Kunte, 51, is the city's youngest civic chief ever