Pune: After Nearly a Year, PMC Finally Gets an Additional Commissioner; State Govt Appoints M.J. Pradeep Chandran on Post
Pune : Finally, the wait has been over as after the long period of 11 months, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) got one of the two Additional Commissioners, the post that has been vacant for the past 11 months. On Thursday evening, the state government issued an appointment order for M.J. Pradeep Chandran, posting him as an additional commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation.
In the backdrop of the Lok Sabha elections last year, two additional commissioners in the Municipal Corporation were transferred. After that, these posts were vacant. With the appointment of M.J. Pradeep Chandran, the Municipal Corporation has got an additional commissioner. However, another additional commissioner post in the Municipal Corporation is still vacant.
The recently appointed additional commissioner of the PMC, M.J. Pradeep Chandran, was currently working as additional development commissioner (Industry) of the Directorate of Industries in Mumbai. He also has experience working as a collector of Bhandara district. The order of his appointment as Additional Commissioner of the PMC was issued on Thursday. He is likely to take charge of the post today.
Last year, before the Lok Sabha elections, the civil servants working in the administrative service were transferred as per the orders of the Central Election Commission. At that time, the state government transferred the Pune Municipal Commissioner, three additional commissioners, and five officers of the rank of Deputy Commissioner. After that, it was expected that other officers would be appointed in the places of these transferred officers.
Subsequently, the state government appointed Dr. Rajendra Bhosale as Pune Municipal Commissioner and Prithviraj B.P. as one of the Additional Commissioners out of three posts. However, the other two posts as additional commissioners remained vacant. No officer has been appointed to the additional post for the last 11 months. Last week, the Revenue Department promoted Mahesh Patil, who was serving as Deputy Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, and appointed him as the Additional Commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation.
Notably, the Pune Municipal Corporation, regarded as the second largest and most significant municipal body after Mumbai, operates under the strong influence of the ruling BJP, both at the state and central levels. The city has two MPs of the Mahayuti coalition, one of whom holds the position of Union Minister of State. Additionally, seven out of eight MLAs of Pune city belong to the BJP, including a cabinet minister and a minister of state. Moreover, the Deputy Chief Minister also serves as Pune’s Guardian Minister.
Despite this considerable political presence, it is surprising that the ruling party has failed to appoint a single officer to the post of Additional Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation for the past 11 months. This delay is raising questions, especially since many senior administrative officers are keen to take up assignments in Pune. Given this interest, the prolonged vacancy remains unexplained, sparking speculation about the reasons behind the inaction.
