Vacancies in top civic positions stall NMMC and PMC operations

Wave of transfers due to election code of conduct hits Navi Mumbai and Panvel civic bodies. Key positions vacant, hampering operations for 3 weeks.

Navi Mumbai: The recent wave of transfers among top civic officials, mandated by the Election Commission in light of the election code of conduct, has dealt a severe blow to the functioning of both the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and the Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC). Key positions have remained unfilled for three weeks, leading to significant disruptions in crucial operations such as the Swachh Survekshan and pre-monsoon preparations.

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Sources within the civic bodies reveal that a backlog of pending work has accumulated due to the absence of decision-makers, with those in interim charge already overwhelmed by existing responsibilities.

In NMMC, the absence of an additional municipal commissioner (ADMC) and several deputy municipal commissioners (DMC) has severely hampered operations. Apart from Navi Mumbai municipal commissioner Rajesh Narvekar, the state government had transferred 5 top NMMC officials in the context of the Lok Sabha election. These include two ADMCs and three DMCs. The transferred officials included ADMCs Sujata Dhole and Vijay Kumar Mhasal and DMCs Babasaheb Rajale, Shriram Pawar and Mangala Marwe.

While the civic body has appointed a new municipal commissioner, Kailas Shinde, replacing Narvekar, and one ADMC, Sunil Pawar, appointments for the remaining four posts of one ADMC and three DMCs are still pending. The NMMC has designated posts for 2 ADMCs and 16 DMCs. Additional City Engineer Shirish Aradwad has been assigned the role of ADMC temporarily to fill one vacancy. Due to existing vacancies and recent transfers, only 9 DMCs remain in the civic body. They have taken on additional responsibilities across various departments to compensate for the shortage of DMCs, leading to an increased burden that naturally affects work efficiency.

“We keep hearing assurances of imminent appointments daily. However, there’s no clarity on when they will actually happen, and the delay has persisted for three weeks now,” said a civic official

He further added, “Not only is the current workload impacting the efficiency of our work, but initiatives like Swachch Survekshan are also suffering, jeopardising our aim for the top position in the country this year. Additionally, the pre-monsoon work, mandated by the commissioner to be finished by May’s end, is proving to be an uphill task due to the absence of top bosses, which is essential for coordinating efforts across departments.”

While NMMC is grappling with the absence of several top officials, PMC doesn’t have its top boss, the municipal commissioner, yet. The incumbent Ganesh Deshmukh was transferred on March 19 along with two DMCs Sachin Pawar and Ganesh Shetye. While the two DMCs have been replaced, the civic body has been awaiting news of Deshmukh’s replacement since then.

Reports suggest that the state government has put forward the name of Mangesh Chitale, the Assistant Deputy Municipal Commissioner (ADMC) of Kalyan Dombivli Municipal Corporation, for the vacant position. Meanwhile, Prashant Rasal, who received charge from Deshmukh, remains in an interim capacity until a permanent appointment is made.

“How can major decisions be made in the absence of top authority? This is a crucial period before the monsoon and the start of the new financial year. We had been going great guns in terms of property tax collection under Ganesh Deshmukh. It is baffling that no new commissioner has been appointed by the government yet,” said a PMC official