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Six PMC staffers including two engineers suspended, four penalised for negligence
Earlier on Saturday, the Pune municipal commissioner transferred assistant municipal commissioner Balasaheb Dhavale-Patil and suspended three staffers, including a junior engineer of the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward office, for failing to perform their duties
Pune municipal commissioner Naval Kishore Ram has once again sent out a stern message to civic staff by suspending six employees, including a deputy engineer and junior engineer from the building development department; and penalising four employees from the Ghole Road-Shivajinagar ward office for dereliction of duty. When contacted, Ram said that the action has been taken for allowing construction without approval.
According to the suspension order signed by deputy commissioner (general administration) Vijaykumar Thorat, two officers - deputy engineer Sandip Misal and junior engineer Shubhangi Tarukmare - were suspended on Monday after a probe revealed that they recommended a proposal for transferable development rights (TDR) even though the concerned builder had already used it. As per the suspension order, a private developer had constructed a sixth floor and begun work on the seventh floor at survey number 216 in Baner despite the TDR proposal still being under consideration in the civic corridors.
“At Baner’s survey number 216, construction of the sixth and seventh floors was proposed against the TDR, beyond the approved building plan. However, the sixth floor was already complete and work on the seventh was underway. The municipal commissioner discovered that this fact was not mentioned by the building department officials while forwarding the proposal, resulting in the action,” the order noted. Furthermore, a departmental inquiry has been ordered against both officials for suppressing crucial information in the proposal.
Meanwhile, the municipal commissioner also cracked down on sanitation lapses in the Ghole Road–Shivajinagar ward. During a surprise visit to Model Colony and Wadarwadi near his official residence on Sunday, Ram found unclean roads, piled-up garbage, and absence of field staff including health inspectors and mukadams (supervisors). Taking immediate action, the commissioner directed deputy commissioner Santosh Warule to issue notices to four staff members for negligence. A fine of ₹4,000 was imposed on the health inspector and ₹2,000 each on the supervisors. The notice sounded a warning that any repeat of such negligence would invite stringent disciplinary action.
With the municipal commissioner carrying out surprise inspections across wards, civic staff have reportedly been instructed by senior officers to stay vigilant and ensure on-ground efficiency. Earlier on Saturday, the Pune municipal commissioner transferred assistant municipal commissioner Balasaheb Dhavale-Patil and suspended three staffers, including a junior engineer of the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward office, for failing to perform their duties and poor maintenance of the area under their jurisdiction.
Ram had visited Shewalwadi and Manjri in the morning to review issues related to roads, encroachment and sanitation. He expressed disappointment over the performance of the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward office officials after finding uncovered drains, pothole-ridden roads and rampant encroachment in the area. Taking cognisance of the residents’ complaints, he took action against the officials of the ward office. Assistant municipal commissioner Dhavale-Patil, ward officer of the Hadapsar-Mundhwa ward, was transferred. Three other officials — a junior engineer of the sanitation department, a health inspector, and an employee of the health department — were suspended.
