Mumbai: Leaders of all political parties in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday reviewed seating arrangements in the civic body’s Corporation Hall after complaints of inadequate space during a during its first meeting .
The issue surfaced at the first meeting of the newly inducted corporators for the mayoral polls on February 11, when 24 Congress corporators alleged they did not have sufficient seating, leading to a ruckus. Following this, a special meeting of party leaders was convened on Friday afternoon to address the problem.
The BMC has now decided to add a few benches in the hall to accommodate more corporators. Some statues inside the premises will be shifted to free up space. In addition, the number of officials from the municipal secretary’s office present in the hall to take notes during meetings will be reduced.
“This hall has remained the same size since the time there were only 170 corporators. As it is a heritage hall, structural alterations are not possible. We are also keen not to disturb its heritage status,” explained a senior civic official. The official pointed out that the hall had earlier accommodated 232 corporators, 227 elected and five nominated. However, five additional nominated corporators now need to be accommodated.
The official added that the seating arrangement usually works because around 10% of corporators are typically absent during routine meetings. “There is full attendance and a space crunch only during major meetings such as the budget session or the mayoral election,” the official said.