Pimpri-Chinchwad: For the first time, an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer has been posted at the post of Additional Municipal Commissioner of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC), as announced by officials on Wednesday. However, while it looks like an advantage for the civic body to have such a qualified officer for the post, the posting has created a wave of confusion within the organisation.
According to available reports, IAS officer Kuldeep Jangam has been appointed as the Additional Commissioner of the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). The order regarding this was issued by Subhash Umarnikar, Joint Secretary of the Maharashtra State Government's General Administration Department. Meanwhile, since Jangam's orders arrived while three additional commissioners are already serving in the PCMC, confusion has been created within the administration.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation falls under the 'B' category, and according to the new organisational structure, three posts for additional commissioners have been created. These three posts are divided such that two additional commissioners are on deputation while one is reserved for the promotion of existing PCMC officers. Currently, Vijay Kumar Khorate and Trupti Sandbhor from the chief officer cadre, along with Vikrant Bagade from the rural development department, are serving as additional commissioners.
All three Additional Commissioners are from the State Service, and even the position intended for local officers is occupied by a State Service official. Among them, Khorate's three-year tenure is nearing completion, as he was appointed to the additional commissioner post on 7th July 2023.
The state government established the procedure for appointing additional commissioners in municipal corporations in February. According to that government decision, it was determined that one of the three additional commissioners in the municipal corporation would be from the Indian Administrative Service.
Following this, Kuldeep Jangam, the chief executive officer of the Solapur Zilla Parishad, has been appointed as the additional municipal commissioner at PCMC. However, the order does not clarify exactly whose place Jangam has been appointed to fill. Since all three additional commissioners are currently in office, it has led to confusion within the administration.
Along with that, even if the administration is adjusted, there is no officer from PCMC who has been promoted to the Additional Commissioner’s post. The PCMC administration said that soon everything in this matter will be clear.
