MUMBAI, June 9: Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) members are angry over the `inferior' treatment meted out to NMMC mayor Chandu Rane by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) officials.

The issue reached its high pitch as the NMMC members boycotted the function organised by CIDCO to mark the formal commissioning of Navi Mumbai's most modern auditorium at Vashi.

NMMC, led by the Shiv Sena's Mayor Chandu Rane, is upset because he was given the second row to sit for the programme at which filmstar Nana Patekar and Thane district Guardian minister Ganesh Naik were the guests of honour.

Many in the ruling Shiv Sena took umbrage at the insult meted out to the mayor. The standing committee at its meeting last Friday openly criticised CIDCO officials. CIDCO chairman Narayan Marathe today apologised for the `blunder' and stated that corrective measures had been taken. ``We have made arrangements to honour the mayor,'' he said.

CIDCO director Vijay Chowgule said, ``Had the mayor attended the function, he would have been felicitated. Our chairman has even gone to the extent of apologising for the lapse on part of our Public Relations officer in issuing the invitations.''

A CIDCO official claimed that fresh invitations had been sent to the mayor and other corporators. CIDCO sent 126 invites to the NMMC which were handed over to the city engineer A B Patil who is on deputation to the civic body from CIDCO. This appears to be the root cause of the problem because it violates the protocol of sending invitations to public relations department. Municipal Corporation's public relations officer did not attend the function because he was ``not invited.''

As a municipal official summed it up, ``The auditorium will be ultimately transferred to NMMC, we will see as to how many CIDCO officers will be invited for our functions.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.