Aurangabad, Feb 22:
All speculations relating to the chief executive officer (CEO) of Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL) Babasaheb Manohare, which were at rife, have been put to rest after he joined the office today afternoon.
Earlier, CEO Manohare, without visiting the ASCDCL office, had submitted his joining letter to the district collector on February 18.
It may be noted that the state Urban Development Department (UDD) has transferred Manohare as ASCDCL-CEO on February 1, this year. The transfer came as a surprising development for the sitting CEO and the municipal commissioner A K Pandey.
It is also learnt that the district collector of Osmanabad had submitted a report to the divisional commissioner demanding a departmental inquiry against Manohare on January 29, this year. He gave a reference to an irregularity that took place when Manohare was the chief officer of Osmanabad Municipal Council.
It may be noted that the Shiv Sena leaders, including the former MP and former mayor, opposed the new appointment, and they had urged the state government not to relieve Pandey from the charge of CEO as he is doing his job satisfactorily. However, the state's urban development minister Eknath Shinde, while he was in the city on February 13, had clarified that there are guidelines of the Central Government to appoint an independent officer to look after development works under Smart City Mission.
In the five years, development works of Rs 1,000 crore will be undertaken in Aurangabad. Of which, the Central Government will grant Rs 500 crore, while Rs 250 crore each will be the share of the state government and the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) in the works.