Senior officer transferred, three employees suspended for negligence

Ram conducted an early morning inspection of Shewalwadi and Manjari areas on Saturday to review cleanliness, drainage systems, potholes, encroachments, and sewage discharge in nullahs

Municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram on Saturday transferred a senior officer from the Hadapsar regional ward office and suspended three other employees for negligence and poor performance.

Ram has on Saturday taken stern action against civic officials and staff following surprise inspections across the city’s eastern suburbs. (HT PHOTO)

Ram has on Saturday taken stern action against civic officials and staff following surprise inspections across the city’s eastern suburbs.

As a part of the action, senior officer from the Hadapsar regional office has been transferred, while three employees from the drainage and solid waste management departments have been suspended for negligence and poor performance.

Ram conducted an early morning inspection of Shewalwadi and Manjari areas on Saturday to review cleanliness, drainage systems, potholes, encroachments, and sewage discharge in nullahs. He expressed strong displeasure over garbage accumulation, poor road conditions, and inadequate sanitation, noting that the civic machinery had failed to maintain basic standards. Several residents also complained about inaction by the administration.

Taking serious note of the lapses, Ram ordered the transfer of Assistant Commissioner Balasaheb Dhawale Patil, replacing him immediately with Executive Engineer Ravi Khandare. He also directed the suspension of three employees — a branch engineer, a health inspector, and a mukadam — for dereliction of duty.

“The action today is to send a strong message that negligence will not be tolerated. Either you shape up or ship out,” said Ram, adding that officers found working carelessly in future will face departmental inquiries, suspension, or transfer to non-executive posts.

Just two days earlier, the commissioner had carried out a surprise inspection in Wagholi under the Nagar Road regional office, where he found several officials failing to monitor fieldwork and address drainage and encroachment issues. As a result, he ordered the transfer of Assistant Commissioner Sheetal Wakde, Deputy Engineer (Drainage) Vinayak Shinde, and officer Ganesh Puram for inaction.

Ram also pulled up officials for the unclean condition of medians along the Pune–Solapur highway, directing the departments concerned to carry out immediate cleaning and maintenance work.

Over the past week, the commissioner has been personally visiting the city’s outskirts to review civic works, resolve citizen complaints, and set timelines for departments to address persistent issues.

“The administration must work sincerely to resolve issues of sanitation, traffic congestion, drainage, and encroachments. Laxity will not be tolerated,” Ram said.

The string of disciplinary actions has sent a strong message within the municipal workforce, indicating that the civic administration is determined to ensure accountability and maintain basic public amenities.