In addition, 6 Mahindra Scorpio vehicles will be procured through a tender process for deputy mayor Leela Hathibed, ruling party leader Narendra Borkar, leader of opposition Sanjay Mahakalkar, standing committee chairperson, transport committee chairperson Mangala Khekre, and chairperson of weaker sections committee. The new vehicles were selected by Borkar.The proposal for the purchase will first be approved by municipal commissioner and standing committee, after which it will be placed before the general body for final approval.For the past nearly 8 years, the municipal commissioner used a vehicle originally purchased for then Smart City CEO Ramnath Sonawane. Now, a new vehicle is also included in the new proposal for the commissioner. An Innova car will be purchased for the commissioner from a sanctioned budget of Rs15 lakh, while Scorpios costing Rs12 lakh each will be purchased for the deputy mayor and other committee chairpersons.NMC currently hires 25 vehicles on rent for various committee chairpersons. Under the new purchase plan, diesel-powered vehicles are being selected as electric vehicles are expensive and may exceed the prescribed budget limits.
