The Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) has perhaps forgotten that the post of city engineer is important for the overall development of a city. It has therefore entrusted the responsibility of the post to an executive engineer. This has been revealed by the civic body in response to a Right to Information (RTI) query by activist Anil Galgali.
๐ฅ๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ณ๐ผ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ป ๐ฐ๐ถ๐๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฟ
The RTI activist had sought information from the NMMC regarding the city engineer. Uttam Kharat, the administrative officer of the general administration department provided Galgali with a copy of the April 2, 2021 order of the then Commissioner Abhijit Bangar.
The document mentions that the last city engineer, Surendra Vasudev Patil, retired on March 31, 2021. Thereafter, executive engineer Sanjay Gopal Desai started looking into the work of the parent department and also took on the additional charge of the vacant post till further orders.
๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ป๐ผ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ด๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฝ๐ฝ๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น ๐ผ๐ป ๐ด๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ
In his reply to Galgali, Kharat claimed that they donโt have on record a copy of the approval of the government while giving the additional charge, a copy of the advertisement regarding the maximum period of additional charge, and a copy of correspondence with the government for sending officers on deputation.
A city engineer has a civil engineering degree at the time of joining as an assistant engineer, and plans infrastructure development works of the city, besides taking administration and technical decisions. On the contrary, an executive engineer is simply a diploma holder and works under a city engineer.
๐ฅ๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐๐ถ๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐พ๐๐ถ๐ฟ๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐๐ , ๐๐๐
Galgali has now written to the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and NMMC chief, demanding an inquiry. He has questioned the intention behind giving an important post like the city engineerโs on an additional charge for two years. He has also demanded the appointment of a qualified officer with immediate effect.
NMMC chief Rajesh Narvekar told the FPJ that the executive engineer has been given additional charge with the permission of the state government. On why the post has been vacant for the last two years, he said itโs the state government that has to provide the official.
