NIT’s merger with NMC to be done by fresh deadline of Aug 14
   Date :05-Jul-2019

(NIT)                                                                                                                (NMC) 
 
 
Staff Reporter:
 
Previous two deadlines of December 31, 2017 and June 15, 2018 already missed
 
 
Two-and-a-half years have passed by since the State Cabinet granted in-principle nod to scrapping of Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT). It was expected that the process of merging NIT’s assets and employees with Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) would be completed soon. Since then, two deadlines have been missed. On Thursday, in another meeting held in Mumbai, a new deadline has come up -- August 14. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister, chaired a meeting held on Thursday in which the issue of merger of NIT with NMC came up. As per the brief official press release, the Government Resolution (GR) in this regard will be issued by August 14. It was decided that an agreement would be signed between NIT Chairperson and Municipal Commissioner. All assets of NIT except its main administrative building in Sadar will be handed over to NMC.
 
The assets like gardens, playgrounds, undeveloped layouts will be handed over to NMC along with funds collected by NIT for development work in these layouts. The legal matters concerning NIT also will be classified with NMC. The staff from NIT will be attached to either NMC or Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA). Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Guardian Minister of Nagpur district; Yogesh Sagar, Minister of State for Urban Development; Nitin Kareer, Principal Secretary (Urban Development); Manisha Mhaiskar, Secretary (Urban Development); Nanda Jichkar, Mayor of Nagpur; Dr Milind Mane, North Nagpur MLA; Sheetal Teli Ugale, Chairperson of NIT; Abhijit Bangar, Municipal Commissioner, were present in the meeting. August 14 will be the third deadline for completion of merger of NIT with NMC.
 
State Cabinet had given in-principle nod to scrapping of NIT and merger in its meeting held on December 27, 2016. Then, it was announced that the decision was taken as there was long-pending demand for having only one planning authority for Nagpur city instead of two -- NIT and NMC. Also, it was decided in an earlier meeting held on August 19, 2016, that seven development schemes and layouts under Gunthewari Scheme under the jurisdiction of NIT would be handed over to NMC. The entire decision was based on Urban Development Department’s proposal.
 
Then, it was stated officially that the State Government was empowered to scrap NIT and hence it did not need opinion of Law and Judiciary Department. At that time, it was decided to complete the process by December 31, 2017. It was the first deadline. It was missed. Later on, in 2018, a high-level meeting was held in Mumbai and a fresh deadline of June 15, 2018, was given for completion of NIT’s merger with NMC. The deadline was given ahead of the commencement of monsoon session of State Legislature held in Nagpur after decades.
 
Then, it was announced that NMC was ready to create separate cadre for NIT officials joining NMC. The municipal body had also assured that the payscale, seniority, and pension benefits of these officials would be protected. As NMRDA was to take over as planning authority for area outside NMC limits, some of the NIT staff was to be accomodated by it also. However, these deadlines were missed. Now, it remains to be seen if the Government issues only the GR for merger of NIT with NMC or the process actually gets completed by August 14.