Thane: Nearly six months after the new Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) house was constituted in January, not a single special committee, not even the standing committee or the transport committee, has been formed, leaving several key posts vacant.The pending appointments include 16 seats on the standing committee, chairpersons of nine ward committees, members of the health, education, sports and culture, slum improvement, and women and child welfare committees, besides positions on the Tree Authority and transport committee.Traditionally constituted within weeks of a new house taking charge, the committees continue to remain in limbo despite a proposal being moved in February. The process was initially deferred due to the festive season and has since seen no progress, possibly making Thane the only major civic body in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region with such crucial posts lying vacant for so long.Opposition leaders argue that the absence of committees has effectively shifted key approvals—particularly those required to go through the standing committee—to the general body, where Shiv Sena enjoys a commanding majority. The last several months have seen hundreds of proposals collectively worth several crores of rupees scheduled to be presented for review and approval by the standing committee but tabled before the general body under Section 35A of the MMC Act, pointed out a corporator.While the general body is empowered to fill these positions, political observers attribute the delay to simmering tensions between ruling Shiv Sena and ally BJP over power-sharing arrangements.“The delay appears aimed at keeping the BJP away from influential positions in the standing committee and ward committees. We are an alliance partner and have rightful place to some posts in the house. The Sena seems to be leveraging its majority, which is unfair,” alleged a BJP leader.A Sena leader said the announcement could possibly be tabled soon and denied any fractures within the alliance over the issue. However, the leader didn’t fail to subtly point out how the local BJP leaders were openly targeting Sena in Thane and had also bulldozed their rightful representation in Navi Mumbai committees.
