Nashik: MP Rajabhau Waje Slams NMC Over ‘Unfair’ Engineer Recruitment Criteria

Nashik: Political tensions have once again flared up in the city over the “controversial conditions” included in the recruitment process for Assistant Engineers in the Civil, Electrical, and Mechanical Departments of the Nashik Municipal Corporation. MP Rajabhau Waje has written a direct letter to the Municipal Commissioner, strongly objecting to what he calls “complex and unfair criteria” and demanding that the recruitment process be immediately suspended.

MP Waje had earlier submitted a written representation on the same issue to the Commissioner in August. Following that, reports suggested that the Commissioner had decided to relax the disputed condition. However, when the final recruitment notice was recently published, it reinstated the same condition, and Waje reacted sharply. “This is a very serious matter that raises suspicion of a larger conspiracy. Is the concerned officer attempting to facilitate corruption through this recruitment process?” Waje questioned directly in his letter.

He further warned that “it is absolutely essential that the recruitment process of the Nashik Municipal Corporation remains transparent, fair, and free of corruption. Otherwise, public trust in the process will be shaken. Hence, the recruitment must be immediately suspended and reviewed.” The MP has also sent copies of his letter to the Chief Minister and the Urban Development Minister, along with separate correspondence on the matter.

Waje pointed out that other municipal corporations in the state, such as Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Ahilyanagar, did not impose any such condition in their recent recruitment drives. “Why then has this condition been applied only in Nashik?” he asked, a question now widely discussed across the city.

This controversy has cast doubts over the conduct of certain municipal officials and has sparked speculation among citizens that “recruitment management politics” may be at play.

Meanwhile, due to MP Waje’s firm stand, the recruitment process has once again come under the spotlight. Nashik residents are now keenly awaiting the Commissioner’s response.

Waje further said, “We have heard about ‘tender management’ in the Municipal Corporation, but if now even recruitment is being managed by exploiting unemployed educated youths, we will not tolerate it. The Commissioner’s administration is known to be transparent, but he must closely watch what happens under his supervision. If the recruitment process is not conducted transparently, we will be forced to adopt other measures.”

Management Modus Operandi:
It has long been whispered that “management” takes place in tenders and other financial dealings within the Nashik Municipal Corporation. However, MP Waje’s open remarks have now brought the issue into public view, putting the corporation’s functioning under scrutiny. On one hand, the civic body is understaffed and has only recently received state approval for recruitment after a long wait; if irregularities occur even in such a process, the matter becomes extremely serious.