SRA chief seeks transfer of its 26 engineers

With BJP MP Gopal Shetty writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the delay in city Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) projects, which he blamed on its newly-appointed chief Vishwas Patil, the latter has now cracked the whip on his engineers.

He has sought the transfer of 26 of the 44 engineers in the SRA and wants replacement for the same on deputation from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Many of the engineers who were already posted with the SRA on deputation had completed their tenure but had not been transferred.

Mr Patil on Tuesday, said, “I want speedy work and so am seeking new batch of 26 engineers on deputation from the BMC. This is not related to any letter sent to Prime Minister,” he clarified.

“The post of a CEO is very crucial and there are times when CEOs do not clear files until five months after taking charge; however, my motto is to have a team of engineers who are professionals in terms of dealing with the public and developers. In the end, most of the work from preparing lists for rehabilitation to approving drawings of the projects have to be done by these professionals.”

The post of engineers at SRA is one of the most lucrative postings and consequently, one of the most corrupt departments as 90 per cent of the work is done by engineers at the SRA, from carrying out surveys to identifying the legality and illegality of every slum dweller.

They also deal with builders executing the SRA project. This paper had reported in February how almost 80 per cent of the engineers on deputation with the SRA had allegedly extended their tenure with the SRA beyond the permitted limit of three years by means of lobbying with top officials at Mantralaya.