Nitin Gadkari and Tukaram Mundhe

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has demanded action against Nagpur Municipal Corporation Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe in a letter written to the Prime Minister’s Office on June 30. Gadkari has accused Mundhe of illegally taking over as the CEO of Nagpur Smart and Sustainable City Development Corporation Limited (NSSCDCL). Gadkari also sent a copy of the letter to Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister of State for Urban Development. Gadkaris letter to PMO is week Nagpur Mayor Sandeep Joshi filed a criminal complaint with Nagpur Police against Mundhe concerning the same.

The letter, sent by the Gadkari read: I would like to bring to your kind notice with deepest pain that Municipal Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, who took charge of civic chief since January 28, 2020, had unlawfully and unconditionally grabbed the position of CEO of NSSCDCL. NSSCDCL was set up on July 1, 2016, and is a jointly-owned company of NMC and Maharashtra government. The Board of Directors comprises six nominee directors from NMC, four nominee directors from state government, one nominee director from Govt. of India and two independent directors. The Municipal Commissioner is appointed as nominee director, CEO is to be appointed as executive director.

Also read : We won’t allow Chinese companies to engage in highway projects in India, says Nitin Gadkari 

Gadkari further said, The last meeting of the board was held on December 31, 2019. Then CEO Ramnath Sonawane resigned on February 11, 2020. According to Section 203 of the Companys Act, the CEO is appointed by a board of directors in a duly- convened meeting. Mundhe has unlawfully and unconditionally grabbed the position of CEO and is repeatedly giving statements in media that Pravinsinh Pardeshi, chairman, NSSCDCL, had appointed him as CEO. The CEO can’t be appointed by the Chairman and must be appointed by the board.

Gadkari further slammed Mundhe for revoking the various unanimous decisions taken by board of directors, such as cancellation of approved tenders, termination of contractual employees in a situation like COVID-19 and misappropriation of funds by introducing his signature in the current account maintained with Bank of Maharashtra.

In view of above, as Mayor and being one of the nominee directors and shareholders of the company, Joshi had lodged criminal complaint against Mundhe and Chief Finance Officer as well as Account officer of NSSCDCL under Sections 420, 463,464,465,466,468 and 471 of the IPC and 447 of the Companys Act, for defrauding exchequer and usurping public money with an oblique motive to divert the public money for extraneous considerations and without any authority, added Gadkari.

The two officers mentioned in the letter, along with Mundhe are Mona Thakur and Amruta Deshkar respectively. Gadkari has sought strict action? against Mundhe to ?prevent him from jeopardising the ambitious central government-funded project.