State Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat has been relieved of his position as chairman of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO). Shirsat, who was appointed as CIDCO chairman before the state assembly elections, has now been freed from the role following his ministerial appointment.
During his brief tenure as CIDCO chairman, Shirsat made several decisions, some of which have sparked controversy. Even after taking the oath as a minister, Shirsat had continued to hold on to his CIDCO chairmanship.
The state government issued an order on Thursday, citing Section 202 of CIDCO’s Articles of Association, which prohibits a minister from concurrently holding the chairman's position.
The decision came shortly after Shirsat made several key announcements during a CIDCO meeting. On January 13, Shirsat proposed changes to CIDCO's policies, including revising conditions that currently prevent family members of property owners from buying new homes.
“Families grow and expand. The current rules should be relaxed to allow sons or other family members to own houses constructed by CIDCO,” Shirsat had said. Additionally, he called for relaxed conditions for the redevelopment of CIDCO buildings and suggested reducing housing prices to make them more affordable, even if it meant financial losses for the corporation.