In a significant escalation of the ongoing tension between bureaucrats and elected representatives, around 40 Class-I officers of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) initiated a two-day mass casual leave on Friday. The officers are protesting against what they describe as "arm-twisting" and the creation of "extreme mental stress" by certain "mischievous instigators" within the elected wing of the civic body.
Memorandum Highlights 'Grave Mental Stress' and Misbehavior
The collective action followed the submission of a joint memorandum to Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu on Thursday evening. While the document remains confidential, officers speaking anonymously revealed its core grievances. They allege constant pressure, threats, use of abusive language, and negative publicity orchestrated through personal posts and local media reports against officials.
A senior Class-I officer involved in handing over the memorandum stated that political interference in administrative work has become rampant. The officer claimed that elected corporators frequently disregard official hierarchy, publicly misbehave with officers at complaint sites, and in some instances, have even physically assaulted them to gain voter sympathy. This conduct, according to the officers, portrays the administration in a negative light despite their efforts to resolve civic issues.
Roots of the Conflict: Public Insults and Withheld Approvals
Another officer pointed to internal conflicts within the elected wing, where different factions attempt to arm-twist officers to settle their scores. A specific point of contention is the administrative department's organization of events like 'Ratri' before Navratri and a music concert as part of the 'Urban Year' celebrations. Despite prior blanket expenditure approval from the Standing Committee, the final bills for these events are now being withheld for unexplained reasons, adding to the friction.
"Except for essential services, all officers decided to abstain from work," an officer said, emphasizing that a clear line must be drawn between legitimate requests from elected members and the unacceptable manner in which demands are often presented. The officers reiterated that they are answerable to the Municipal Commissioner, not directly to the elected wing, which they accuse of having "unreasonable expectations regarding compliance."
Political Response and Historical Context
While Municipal Commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu was unavailable for comment, a senior leader from the ruling BJP offered a different perspective. The leader asserted that the protest was not against the party but targeted certain factions of the local media for allegedly bad-mouthing VMC officers. The leader stated that no recent incident involving corporators and officials could have triggered this move and called the allegations speculative since the memorandum did not name any individuals.
This is not an isolated incident in the VMC's history. In June 2016, then-Commissioner H S Patel issued a circular to curb the "influence of politicians on demoralised officers." The circular, issued during a sensitive demolition drive, clarified that policy decisions must flow through the Municipal Commissioner and that directives from non-executive statutory authorities should not be implemented without the Commissioner's approval. The current protest underscores that the fundamental conflict between administrative autonomy and political influence remains unresolved, leading to a severely demoralized officer cadre.
