MUMBAI, December 4: The hurry with which KDMC officiating commissioner R K Sonawane relieved Chief Market Inspector R T Borade of his responsibility of renewing food licences has raised quite a few eye-brows. Barely a day before the new commissioner Madhukar Kokate could take over, Sonawane awarded the post to A Waghralkar, Medical Officer.

Speculation is now rife that this was done to facilitate the large-scale corruption involved in the renewal of food licences. Sources say since Dec-Jan was the period when all food licensees are up for renewal, it was considered unadvisable to waste even a day before a quick killing could be made.

Sonawane refuted the charges, saying, ``This appears to be an attempt to tarnish my image in front of the new commissioner. I will stand up to this challenge thrown by vested interests.'' He was however non-committal on how the earlier arrangement came to be and parried questions with, ``I don't want to get into the how and why of decisions taken by persons before me.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.