Mumbai confidential: Going local

Irrigation Minister Jayant Patil took a lot of commuters by surprise when he boarded a suburban train at CST to get to a party function in Ulhasnagar on Saturday.

Irrigation Minister Jayant Patil took a lot of commuters by surprise when he boarded a suburban train at CST to reach Ulhasnagar on Saturday. He was headed to a party function and getting there on time by car would have been a challenge. During the commute, he cleared some work, and reminisced about his strap-hanging student days with fellow passengers.

FB And DGP

Director General of Police Sanjay Pandey has been effectively using social media for communicating with the constabulary and junior rank officers. Through his Facebook page, he conveys to the lower rungs about transfer and posting reforms and betterment of service conditions. He writes in Marathi in the Roman script and responds to questions from junior rung personnel.

Change In Mantralaya

Chief Secretary S J Kunte’s term ends on November 30 this year, and though Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wants to give him an extension, the Centre may not accede to such a request from the state. Sources in the bureaucracy say that he could probably take up the job of Right to Service Chief Commissioner when incumbent Swadheen Kshatriya retires in January 2022. But those who want to block Kunte from this assignment are also rolling the dice.

P2P – Mask Up

Since COVID-19 erupted, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has never been seen without a mask in public. And he likes others to follow the rule as well. The other day his cousin MLA Rohit Pawar was the one at the receiving end. “I was appalled to see a large number of people moving around without a mask at Karjat Jamkhed (Rohit’s constituency). Even Rohit Pawar moves around without mask. I have told Rohit that at least he should ensure strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines. He is an MLA. If he wears a mask, others will follow,” he said.

At A Distance

The Delhi NCB team conducting the Vigilance probe against NCB Mumbai director Sameer Wankhede is working out of an under-construction building of the CRPF mess in Bandra. Earlier, visiting NCB teams had the run of the swanky offices of the central agency in south Mumbai, but it seems the Vigilance team wanted some visible distance between itself and NCB Mumbai, whose director is being investigated.

Source: Read Full Article