By: Express News ServiceMumbai | November 17, 2025 09:26 AM IST 4 min read"Prolonged rule by the administrator should be avoided in future," says D M Sukthankar, Former State Chief SecretaryWith Municipal Corporations elections to be held in a few months after over three years of unprecedented administrator’s rule, D M Sukthankar, Former State Chief Secretary and ‘first-ever’ administrator for BMC speaks to Omkar Gokhale about the impact of such a rule on decision making and citizens at large.Q. You were the first ever administrator in BMC’s history in 1984. How would you take decisions in the absence of an elected body?During my term as the Administrator, I did not undertake any major project nor any long-term or far-reaching policy decisions, nor any financial/fiscal decisions involving large capital or revenue expenditure or imposition of any new taxes or any alteration in existing tax rates. I genuinely felt that such decisions ought to be taken only by the elected body (or by its empowered Committee), in true conformity with the spirit of democratic functioning.I ensured that decisions taken by me were mentioned appropriately in statutory minutes, as Administrator (Corporation) Resolution or Administrator (Standing Committee) Resolution, so that their plain reading will explicitly indicate the exact authority in exercise of whose powers they were taken.Q. Can the Administrator take independent decisions without the state government’s interference?I would assert that, by and large, no conscious effort was made by anyone, including the state government or ministers, to interfere with my functioning as Administrator. Maybe, everyone realised that, as per my reputation, I will not succumb to any pressure. So far as I can recall, no special or conscious preference was shown by me, to projects or proposals made or recommended by MLAs, in the absence of corporators. Every proposal was considered on its own intrinsic and overall merits. I do not have feedback on the present situation but day by day the things are becoming more and more politicalised.Q. BMC and other major municipal bodies have been witnessing nearly over three years of Administrator rule. What is the impact?I think that the continuation of the Administrator’s rule for as long as three years or more is absolutely scandalous. Supersession of the elected body for such a long period of time is definitely contrary to the democratic functioning of local self government, both in its letter and spirit. Such supersession should, in my view, be essentially regarded as a very unfortunate aberration, to be prevented and avoided virtually at any cost. Elections ought to be held regularly, as per the periodicity prescribed by law, and the Administrator’s rule, which is contrary to the democratic spirit of our Constitution, should not be permitted to extend, in any case, beyond one year. So, what happens is that decisions on major projects and major policy issues go on getting postponed.Q. How would you maintain transparency during the Administrator’s rule?The only way in which you can introduce some transparency is by making yourself more approachable and accessible to people and sensitive to public issues or grievances. In my case, for example, I used to meet any member of the public almost daily and anybody could come with any grievance if they were dissatisfied with what was happening at the ward level or any other neglect of any kind.Q. Now that municipal elections will be held in a few months, what should we be cautious about?I feel if you really mean business and if the politicians are alert, it will ensure that elections will be held in a timely manner. Prolonged rule by the administrator should be avoided in future. I do not know why the present Administrator’s rule has lingered for three years or more. I have not been directly in touch with present decision-making, but I think it is quite shameful. What I feel is that if everybody sincerely believes that postponement of elections should be more of an exception. It would be feasible to hold elections well in time, i.e, within a year. The long and short of it, therefore, is that the Administrator has got to be open and accessible and he/she should not think that he/she had been appointed there for a long period. And he/she should not take decisions which ought to be left to public representatives.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:MaharashtraMumbai