The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has turned a blind eye to recent orders by Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court regarding departmental promotions. This has forced some firemen to file a contempt petition against NMC for neglecting the HC orders.
Among other cases, the HC bench had also directed NMC to appoint a competent education officer within six weeks, but the civic body is yet to take a decision.
The NMC faced the wrath of the high court when the bench expressed its displeasure over unimplemented orders to promote assistant fire officers as station officers. Several posts are lying vacant in the education, fire and other departments in the corporation.
Sources told TOI that of the eight posts of station officers only one post is filled, while rest seven are either headed by assistant station officers or leading firemen.
Interestingly, the departmental promotion committee of NMC, comprising additional municipal commissioner, additional deputy municipal commissioners, assistant municipal commissioner, auditor and department head, had passed the proposal to promote assistant station officers to the posts of station officers twice. These decisions were taken on October 27, 2009, and August 28, 2011. The committee headed by the then additional municipal commissioner Vishnupad Bute had approved promotion of three assistant station officers to the posts of station officers.
Subsequently, the proposal was also sent to the house for its approval. In the meanwhile, on May 21, 2011, the state government issued a resolution regarding departmental promotions in civic bodies within 45 days. However, the NMC administration failed to follow the GR. It also neglected the high court's directives in a writ petition filed by some fire officials.
On February 8, 2011, a writ petition was filed in high court in this regard, where the NMC told the HC that necessary orders shall be issued after following the due procedures. However, on September 29, while hearing the contempt petition the HC expressed concern over NMC not following its old directives and asked the municipal commissioner to submit the civic body's say after Diwali vacation.
In fact, the NMC has earned a dubious reputation for violating HC's directives, said a group of employees.
The high court has directed NMC to appoint a competent education officer within six weeks following a plea by Nagpur Mahanagar Adhyapak Sangh. A division bench comprising justices Sharad Bobde and MN Gilani observed that present incumbent Vijay Humne was not competent to hold additional charge of education officer.
The petitioners had contended that Humne, an engineer, was not eligible to hold the post as he did not have requisite qualifications. They had prayed for shifting of Humne, who has been holding the charge for last two years, and appointment of a competent person on the post.
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