Ashok Chwan, Chief Minister Maharashtra

Interview with Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chwan

By Vaidehi Sachin
Newly sworn in Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, was elected the new leader of the Democratic Front to succeed Vilasrao Deshmukh, who quit following the Mumbai terror attacks. The fifty years young Chief Minister of Maharashtra is the son of veteran Congress leader and two time Chief Minister, the late Shankarrao Chavan. They happen to be the first father-son duo to hold the top political post in the state. The 50-year-old management graduate has been representing the Mudkhed constituency in Nanded district in the assembly since 1999.Shankarrao Chavan was chief minister for the first time from 1975 to 1977 and his second term was from 1986 to 1988.

What do you have to say about Rane's criticism over your credentials?
I don’t take it to heart because the one who is making all these allegations is a senior leader. He could not take his defeat in a positive spirit. His only ambition to join the Congress was to aim for the CM’s post. I can understand his frustration; whatever he is saying about me is out of anger. The decision to make me Chief Minister was the party High command’s choice. She thought of me because she thought I am capable. My work will speak for me.

Rane was not aware of this selection? Is there any threat to Congress party from Narayan Rane?.
Till the last moment none of us was very much sure of who was going to be the Chief Minister, when the Congress Party’s central observers, Pranab Mukherjee and A.K. Antony finalised their shortlists after interviewing us. However, the final choice was left to party chief Sonia Gandhi. Rane and I sat beside each other and I told him that time, let any one of us become CM, the decision should not affect our relations, none of us should feel offended. There is no threat from Rane to my party.

You said your first preference after becoming the Chief Minister would be gaining the people’s confidence. Do you think people have shown their confidence in you?
In order to win the people's confidence, my priority was to enhance the security and the intelligence gathering machinery in Mumbai. Henceforth implementation of every decision taken by the state government would be time-bound. I will try my level best to secure and protect my people. I will do it, then automatically they will trust me.

Will the demand from opposition leaders for police officers’ resignation be fulfilled?
No. I don’t think this is needed; the solution to terror is not resignations. We need to improve our system and provide training to them. Stern action against lax officials for dereliction of duty and lack of security/intelligence which led to the Mumbai terror strikes has already been taken.

Do you admit the lapses in department?
I have already admitted that there were several lapses which led to the Mumbai attacks. We are examining what went wrong and are trying to implement corrective measures. There is no point in hiding mistakes on the part of the state government. There could be some shortcomings. But hereafter, I will ensure that there is no shortage of funds or red-tapism as far the state's security is concerned.

You are the latest in the list of kin of politicians in the state who have profited from the legacy of their seniors. There are sons and daughters galore who have made it big in politics.
See having political background definitely helps politician, but that does not mean all those famous leaders are kin of politicians. There are famous examples like Sushil Kumar Shinde, Vilasrao Deshmukh, Chhagan Bhujbal. You should have an inclination towards politics, not blood relations.

What is the difference and the similarity between Ashok Chavan and Shankarrao Chavan?
My father was a very straight forward person. He could dare to say no and oppose wrong people in the party. That period was different. Now, I have to be more diplomatic, and say “let us see’ when I have to refuse. I don’t dare to say no. The similarity between us is we share same blood and Congress party is in our veins. He was legendary, while I am yet to grow.

You have done MBA, you possess many degrees. But people say your biggest qualification here is that you are a veteran Congress leader and son of two-time Maharashtra Chief Minister S.B. Chavan. Is it true?
(Keeps mum, then laughs helplessly) There is nothing wrong if people say so, because I learned grass root level politics from my father. I have been living with party politics since I opened my eyes. My father was an institution for me. I feel proud to be his son. I am born in Mumbai, educated here. Being the son of a senior Congressman, I could live with two different generations of politicians. I could learn political lessons at home itself.


You have achieved so many qualifications. Is it necessary for a politician?
Whether it is necessary or not, I don’t want to comment, but education definitely helps one to be techno savvy. It also helps in time management, strategy planning and delivering the best. Only an educated minister can understand the value of administrative skills. Seniors’ guidance is also very important.

What is your opinion on the Marathi manoos issue? Do you agree to this?
Tell me one thing, how many of us have accepted it? If Barrack Obama can be president of the United States, why should we live with these petty things? The Constitution has a certain framework, and it is mentioned in our Constitution that one who is domiciled of Maharashtra, irrespective of his caste and creed, he is Maharashtrian. Being a citizen of this state you can avail of all the rights. This issue was taken up for political advantage by misguiding a few youth of this state, but no one is concern about the welfare of these people. The people of Maharashtra are wise enough to understand these gimmicks.



Your wife is Punjabi and you are Maharastrian, has this ever bothered you?
Don’t relate my marriage with this issue. We are a very happy family. I am married to Amita , who runs the home and we have two daughters, twins Srijaya and Sujaya; both are students of Jai Hind College. They are born and brought up here and such issues have never affected us.

Vilasrao Deshmukh failed to handle this issue, but how will you tackle it in future?
How can you say this? Deshmukh has not failed. You can recollect Raj Thackeray’s arrest. There were cases registered against him. He was banned from making public speeches. No need to blame Deshmukh. He has done all that which fits into the legal framework.

People say you don’t give them time, you are never available.
People need to understand one thing, that I have hundred of jobs to do. I need time to function, if I sit in office for twenty four hours and start meeting people, I will never be able to function. I don’t want to blame government officers or visitors. The State should have proper direction of execution. Collectors should settle people’s problems on their level, Tehsildars should be active at the village level. Then only can a Chief Minister concentrate on state welfare issues.

Don’t you think your post has the biggest challenge in the state?
It is shocking to see the pending rebuilding, rehabilitation work as well as the recent display of public anger. It is a challenge which I accept. The system has lots of flaws and I need to correct them. I am here to serve my people and my work will prove my ability. I request people to trust and support me. United we can do much better.

Misuse of Funds- BMC

BMC Funds lapsed due to non usage
By Vaidehi Sachin
It may come as a real disappointment and a frightening shock, but almost 90 per cent of the whopping Rs.69.45 crore BMC funds have lapsed due to non usage by corporators. Incidentally, all this money was supposed to be utilized for the benefit of Mumbaikars, and to improve the quality of our life here in the city. Nothing can be done now because the funds were supposed to be utilized by 31.01.2009. Any move to spend would require approval, which again is a 15 day process. The forthcoming elections have rendered the entire situation time barred.

A resolution was passed in the Improvements Committee which allows Corporators to use their funds for repairs in private layouts. This move would have benefited more than 25 lakh Mumbaikars, but local corporators never utilised this money for repairs to bad roads, leaky sewage lines and even faulty electric poles, though this may not be technically BMC’s responsibility. Each of the BMC's 227 corporators gets a constituency development fund, which is a discretionary fund of Rs 25 lakhs a year for work in their own constituencies, during each of their five years in the Municipal House. This amounts to Rs 1.25 crore over five years per corporator and Rs 283.75 crore collectively for the whole House. While it can be surmised that roughly Rs 99.3 crore was spent on drains, 22% (or roughly Rs 62.4 crore) was spent on community development and only 1% (roughly Rs 2.8 crore) on open spaces. Community development is a category that includes a wide variety of work, like building cement passages, compound walls, fencing and, most importantly, libraries, gyms, welfare centres, balwadis and so on. "This discretionary fund is a category which a corporator willingly spends. He gets funds sanctioned for, say, building a welfare centre or a gymnasium, and before long it gets converted into something like his own personal office,'' admitted a South Mumbai corporator who did not wish to be named. “These are the places that encourage a kind of bond between contractors and the executing machinery. The ‘real’ money comes from these contractors,” an official said. “The nexus is unbreakable. They are virtually two sides of the same coin,” he noted.
“Here it’s an unwritten tripartite agreement. The corporator, BMC officials and the developer all share the riches,” sources explained. It is a lot of money, considering that the BMC has 227 corporators and everyone irrespective of their status, ruling and opposition alike, have access to the fund. The largest chunk of corporators' funds-roughly Rs 99.3 crore-went into drainage projects over the past five years. Though the spending may be indicative of the actual demands of various wards, allegations of funds being misused also indicate that while a lot of money has gone into drains, large amounts have also gone down the drain. Civic sources have said that drainage spending is an area that allows for the maximum fudging of figures. Sameer Desai, Congress corporator from Goregaon, said that contractors play a decisive role in getting corporator funds for various works. "Contractors are most willing to carry out repairs on drains. There is always a great disparity between the actual amount spent and the money allotted, as it is not possible to document the exact amount of work carried out when repairing drains,'' said Desai. While the current crop of corporators, whose five-year terms come to an end next month, have spent the most money, 35 per cent on drains, the second-biggest spending has been in a rather nondescript category called ‘community development.’ The least funds have gone into developing open spaces. The percentage-wise findings are from data collected under the Right to Information Act by the NGO Praja Foundation, which did a citywide survey of the spendings of corporators from various political parties. An RTI Activist and concerned citizen, D'Souza has written to mayor Shubha Raul to hold a workshop for all the corporators. "It is very difficult for a lay person to understand the BMC's budget. Last year, after the budget was cleared, I handed over its copies to a chartered accountant, so that he could explain the budget to me,'' he said.
Funds for a ward are provided under different heads. There is the central budget where funds are allocated for specific works to be done in a ward; the ward budget is to be utilised by the Assistant Municipal Commissioner. Besides, there is the corporator's discretionary fund of Rs 35 lakh and the BMC for the first time last year, introduced a Rs.1.5 crore Development Fund for each councilor's ward, which is to be utilised according to the directions of the corporator.
Civic officials, however, said the development fund has been used only for those works for which the corporator has given a written request and which have been approved by the Ward Committee. "The corporator should ask for details about the money spent, check the measurements and quality of work done. For instance, the thickness of a concrete road can be measured by taking sample pits, the width of the drains, into account. This will help a corporator to know if the work has been done according to the area's requirement,'' said a senior civic official. Vidya Chavan, NCP corporator from Malad, said she had asked for the details of expenses from the local ward office. "My entire budget has already been used up, but I want to know if it has really been utilised the way it should have been. Often, there is a lot of fudging of figures," she added.