On Saturday, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) issued a notice to the family of IAS probationary officer Puja Khedkar for illegally encroaching on part of the footpath at their residence. The notice was addressed to Puja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama Khedkar, and was pasted at the gate of their house after PMC officials were unable to contact the family directly.
According to the notice, there is a 60×3 encroachment on the footpath adjacent to the wall of the Khedkar bungalow. This encroachment is causing inconvenience to the public. The notice instructs the Khedkar family to remove the encroachment within seven days. If the encroachment is not removed within this period, the PMC will take necessary action to clear the obstruction.
PMC officials surveyed the encroached area and found unauthorized construction on public roads or footpaths within the corporation’s jurisdiction. Despite attempts to reach the Khedkar family, the officials received no response, leading them to post the notice on the wall of the residence.
Puja Khedkar, a 2023 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, has recently been at the center of several controversies.
Khedkar, who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, has been accused of misusing her power as a civil servant. She allegedly used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate and demanded facilities not available to probationary officers in the IAS.
Reports have claimed that Khedkar submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. She also allegedly submitted a mental illness certificate. In April 2022, Khedkar was asked to report to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate. However, she did not comply, citing a Covid infection.
Responding to the controversy, the central government has set up a single-member committee to investigate Khedkar’s candidature claims and other allegations. The committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary, will submit its report in two weeks.
Khedkar, who has been transferred to Washim from Pune amid these allegations, has refused to comment on the matter, stating that she is not authorized to speak on it.
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