Kale told Express Newsline: ``We have been asked by the urban development secretary Nand Lal to undertake this exercise following a litany of complaints regarding officials amassing vast amounts of wealth by looking the other way when illegal constructions take place,'' he said. He justified the move saying: ``The officials are as much, if not more, responsible for the spurt in illegal constructions. Why should they be spared?'' He warned: ``Departmental inquiries and strong punitive action will be taken against those found to have benefitted from protection of illegal structures.''

BJP MLA Digambar Vishe, who is also president of the party's Kalyan district unit, and Thane-based Sena leader Anand Dighe, who were in Ulhasnangar last week have expressed unhappiness over the government's decision to appoint theNand Lal committee to inquire into the malfunctioning of UMC. Dighe told Express Newsline, ``Nand Lal is overstepping his limits and interfering more than necessary in the township.'' Supporting him, Vishe said, ``The committee has not been officially asked to begin its work, so his overzealousness smacks of other motives.'' However, he did not spell out what the ``other motives'' were.

Declining to comment on why citizens felt the need to go to HC to see the corporation function, Vishe said, ``There are problems everywhere.''

According to him, ``Things were improving since the BJP-Sena alliance came to power in the UMC.'' He said privatisation of octroi had boosted revenue and the beginning of planned development had been made.

Nand Lal expressed surprise at the stand of Vishe and Dighe and said they may be reacting to the complaints by corporators ``whose interests may have been hurt.'' He added: ``I am merely following the CM's orders to conduct an enquiry. Where is the question of any othermotives?''

Early this month, Chief Minister Narayan Rane ordered an inquiry into the functioning of UMC following the breakdown of governance in the civic body and consequent denial of civic services in the township. Urban development secretary Nand Lal was asked to conduct the inquiry and submit a report in two months. The inquiry would include Ulhasnagar's insanitary conditions, unauthorised constructions, the politician-criminal nexus and involvement of corporators in corruption, Nand Lal had said.

On March 6, Nand Lal ordered the razing of major unauthorised constructions, including the Shivam Shopping complex, and said structures directly or indirectly built by corporators or political leaders should be the first to go, as that would have a demonstrative effect on owners of other illegal constructions.

Citizens of Ulhasnagar had also filed a petition in HC in January urging it to put an end to the virtual non-governance in the township. The HC on March 12 asked Kale to clean up the mess inUlhasnagar in 15 days.