MUMBAI: The Union Textile Ministry’s decision to shift the textile commissioner and other officers from its Mumbai’s main office to Delhi has sparked a row in Maharashtra. The Opposition has viewed it as a systematic attempt by the Centre to scale down the importance of the financial capital – Mumbai.
The Ministry of Textile issued a circular on March 14 asking the Textile Commissioner, who sits in Mumbai’s Nishta Bhavan, to relocate to Delhi along with other officers as part of restructuring.
NCP state president Jayant Patil said Mumbai is known as the Manchester of India due to a large quantum of products made by cotton and textiles mills.
However, the BJP-led government has been systematically reducing the importance of Mumbai by relocating all key offices from the financial capital. Patil said Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis should not allow this to happen.
Responding to the Opposition’s allegations on the floor of the House in the assembly, he clarified that the Central government had not relocated the textile commissioner office, but had relocated the textile commissioners and a few other officers.
“There are more than 500 people working in the textile commissioner office in Mumbai, out of it only six of them including the textile commissioner have asked to relocate from Mumbai to Delhi as a part of the restructuring process. This is not the move to relocate the office. The textile office will very much remain in Mumbai only,” deputy chief minister clarified.