More than 15 vehicles lying abandoned in the Vidhan Bhavan parking lot !

Chaotic functioning of the Legislature administration
Administrative neglect despite serious security concerns !

– Mr Pritam Nachankar, Special Correspondent, Sanatan Prabhat, Mumbai

Mumbai – As the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature is currently under way, extensive security arrangements have been put in place in the Vidhan Bhavan complex. However, even as security precautions are being taken, the abandoned and dilapidated vehicles lying in the parking area are being ignored. More than 15 vehicles have been lying unattended in the same place for years and are in a state of disrepair. These include four-wheelers, two-wheelers and buggies. If anti-national elements were to conceal explosives or other dangerous materials in these vehicles and carry out an act of sabotage, the consequences could be disastrous. Therefore, the administration must promptly take a final decision regarding these vehicles.

The parking area is located outside the main entrance of the Vidhan Bhavan building. During the session, the vehicles of the Speaker, the Chairman, the Chief Minister, Ministers and senior administrative officers are parked there. Their drivers drop them at the entrance to Vidhan Bhavan and then park the vehicles in the parking area. When the dignitaries come out, the vehicles are brought back to the entrance.

Although Ministers and officials themselves do not enter the parking area, the administration must exercise due caution from the security perspective. The condition of these vehicles reflects the inefficiency of the Legislature administration.

Assurance of action after the issue was brought to notice

When a Sanatan Prabhat correspondent asked Pradip Tibe, Property Manager of the Legislature, about the abandoned vehicles lying in the Vidhan Bhavan premises, he said that the vehicles belonged to various departments in Mantralaya. When asked whether the departments concerned had been informed and whether the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly was aware of the issue, he replied, “After informing the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council and obtaining their approval, I will issue a circular to the departments concerned in Mantralaya. Through the circular, the departments will be instructed to remove the vehicles within a specified period.”

Overall, the fact that several Government vehicles have remained in a dilapidated condition for years in an important place such as Vidhan Bhavan, that there has not even been routine correspondence with the departments concerned all these years, and that no decision has been taken despite the poor condition of the vehicles being plainly visible, reflects the Legislature administration’s extreme inefficiency and negligence. At least now, the administration must initiate further action and take an appropriate decision regarding these abandoned vehicles.