Ironically, the officer said, Patil had been complaining of acute manpower shortage when it came to law enforcement. "This could have been addressed had the recommendation been approved. From the surplus staff, we will be able to set up a minimum of five police stations in the metropolis."
According to the officer, the committee had recommended that Z+ category security (the highest cover) be downgraded to Z for former chief minister Ashok Chavan, and to Y for Union ministers Vilasrao Deshmukh and Sushilkumar Shinde (both former chief ministers).
The committee on VIP security, while recommending a downgrade or withdrawal of cover for several top politicians, has significantly said that no change should be made in the special security cover provided to actor Amitabh Bachchan, cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, former Lok Sabha speaker Manohar Joshi, president Pratibha Patil’s son and daughter, and industrialist Ratan Tata.
The panel recommended that security be withdrawn for former deputy chief minister Vijaysinh Mohite Patil and medical education minister Vijaykumar Gavit (both Z+), and RPI chief Ramdas Athavale and labour minister Ganesh Naik (both Z).
Z-category politicians: The committee has advised a withdrawal of cover for excise minister Ganesh Naik, irrigation minister Sunil Tatkare, rural development minister Jayant Patil , Congress legislator Gopal Agarwal from Gondia (a Naxal-infested district), former minister of state for home Ramesh Bagwe, and former ministers Satish Chaturvedi and Rohidas Patil. It has advised a downgrade to X for former leader of the opposition Ramdas Kadam.
Y-category politicians: The committee has advised a withdrawal of cover for former Union minister Murli Deora, former minister Baba Siddiqui, Congress leader from Chandrapur Naresh Pugalia, Congress MP from Nagpur Vilas Muttemwar, minister Nitin Raut and former minister Vijay Wadettiwar. It has advised a downgrade to X for textiles minister Arif Naseem Khan, former mayor Milind Vaidya and special public prosecutor in the stamp paper case Raja Thackeray.
X-category politicians: The committee has advised a withdrawal of cover for industries minister Narayan Rane’s sons Nitesh (an MP) and Nilesh, tribal development minister Babanrao Pachpute, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s son and daughter, Bal Thackeray’s daughter-in-law Smita Thackeray and her son Rahul Jaidev Thackeray , Sena CEO Uddhav Thackeray’s son Tejas, former ministers Siddharam Mhetre and Swaroopsinh Naik, public works minister Chhagan Bhujbal’s son Pankaj and nephew Sameer, and former speaker Arun Gujarathi.
The committee has also recommended the withdrawal of the special security cover of state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar, provided on the home minister’s instruction despite the SP of Chandrapur (from where Mungantiwar hails) informing the home department that there was no threat to his life.
While there was no responsefrom the CM or the home minister, a senior Congress minister said it was time the government took serious note of the threat perception committee’s recommendation.
Times View
Netas moving around with security entourages that are clearly bigger than necessary is a vulgar show of power as well as a burden on our pocket; the expenses for this show of pomp are borne directly by the tax we pay. This is one recommendation that the government should heed immediately. The tax citizens pay should be used for their benefit and not to add to the wrong notions of grandeur some VIPs may have about themselves.