Row over NMC education panel member appointment

NASHIK: Appointment to the 16-member education committee of the civic body as per section 31 (a) of the Bombay Municipal Corporation Act has run into rough weather following opposition from the members appointed in the panel in 2012.
The resolution to appoint the 16-member committee was passed on November 20, 2014 and the appointments were supposed to be made at the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) general body meeting on Monday.However, the committee members who were appointed in 2012 but could not function because of a litigation have objected to the new appointments.
The NMC has reportedly received a letter from the state government early this month, stating that the old committee be retained till its term comes to an end. All school boards and committees were dissolved in 2012 after a petition was filed questioning the authenticity of the board. The Bombay high court had then said the power was vested in the local authority to constitute the boards or the committees.
"The board was functioning even before the committee was constituted. The members were appointed," said a member appointed in 2012. "The court had said that the power was vested in the local authority to constitute boards by virtue of incorporation of the provisions of the Bombay Primary Education Act even though repealed. It said that the school boards and committees would continue to operate till the Act is passed by the legislature. Yet, the NMC is appointing new members," he said.
Nilesh Kokane, who was appointed a member of the NMC’s education committee, said, "On April 1, the state government gave a letter to the NMC mentioning that the same board or committee be continued till its term comes to an end and that the board or the committee should start functioning. We procured the letter recently from the NMC. The fresh appointments are wrong."
A senior MNS leader said unlike in the past, the new members of the education committee would essentially be corporators.