Residents come together for silent protest after ‘proactive officer’ who cracked down on unlicensed hawkers and illegal construction shunted just two months into his job
Matunga and Wadala residents gathered for a silent protest outside the BMC’s F North ward office on Tuesday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Please don’t turn our ward into a laboratory!” This was the demand of Matunga and Wadala residents who gathered for a silent protest outside the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) F North ward office. The protest was against the transfer of Assistant Municipal Commissioner Nitin Shukla, who was removed just one and a half months after his appointment.
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Payel Shah, a resident of Sion, voiced her frustration: “In the last two years, we have seen three assistant municipal commissioners come and go. Ideally, an officer should serve a minimum of three years. Chakrapani Alle worked in the ward from April 2023 to June 2024, Prithviraj Chauhan from June 2024 to February 2025, and then Nitin Shukla was appointed on February 5, only to be transferred last week. What is this? Our ward is not a laboratory for BMC’s experiments! We demand that Shukla be reinstated.”
Matunga and Wadala residents protest outside the BMC’s F North ward office. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
Ajay Pandya, a member of the Sion-Matunga Residents’ Forum, alleged political interference behind Shukla’s sudden transfer. “He worked proactively to resolve civic issues, took action against illegal hawkers, and started engaging with residents. We are shocked by his removal. At the very least, an officer should get three years to make a meaningful impact. We want him reinstated.”
Madhuri Manjrekar, a resident of Wadala, echoed similar concerns. “With three different officers in two years, no one gets enough time to understand the ward’s problems. Will the next officer last a full term? We stand united against this transfer and want Shukla back in office.” Shukla had spearheaded several drives against illegal hawkers, including crackdowns at Matunga’s flower market. His removal has left residents questioning the BMC’s priorities.
“In my experience, I have never received a call from a BMC official on a Sunday to understand local issues. I have never seen an official who started working from day one after taking charge. Senior officials believe that common people are gathering in support of Shukla—this itself shows how dedicated he is to the public,” said Chetan Trivedi, a resident of Matunga. “Our demand is clear: officers like Shukla should be reinstated,” he added.
“We believe this transfer was done under political pressure,” said Rahul Khona, another resident. “The officer was simply following the rules. He took action wherever he found irregularities. He works for the citizens and taxpayers. Our demand is that the administration reinstate him in the same post,” he added.
Meanwhile, Ravi Raja, former Opposition leader of the BMC and vice-president of Mumbai BJP, said, “Several assistant commissioners have been transferred. I welcome this move because institutions should always remain above individuals. His actions seemed suspicious,” Raja added. Civic chief Bhushan Gagrani did not respond to the message till press time.
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