Nagpur: With the state govt yet to clear long-pending recruitment for 350 vacant posts, Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has once again been forced to rely on temporary arrangements to keep its fire services running. The civic body will place a proposal before its standing committee to extend the contracts of 63 fire department personnel for another six months, at an additional cost of Rs63.60 lakh. The panel, which was supposed to discuss the proposal on April 17, has postponed the meeting. Now the panel will take a decision on this sometime next week.The move comes amid a delay of over a year in securing approval from the urban development department (UDD) to fill critical vacancies. Despite repeated submissions — including the latest proposal sent in January by then municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari — the file remains pending with the state govt.Officials said the delay has severely impacted the fire department’s operational capacity, forcing it to function with a skeletal workforce even as the number of fire incidents continues to rise. “We are managing with limited staff and depending heavily on contractual workers. This is not sustainable in the long run,” a senior official said.The civic body had approved a staffing pattern of 872 posts across 14 cadres, following which it issued a recruitment advertisement on Dec 5, 2023, to fill 350 vacancies. The proposal was stalled over some technicalities in recruitment rules. The NMC revised the proposal and sent it to the UDD, which comes under deputy CM Eknath Shinde. However, the process has remained stalled due to absence of UDD clearance.Sources added NMC’s recruitment norms are in line with Bombay high court’s directive mandating a minimum height requirement of 157cm for female candidates. The delay has caused further frustration within the administration, especially since Pune Municipal Corporation completed recruitment under the same criteria.The extension of contractual staff is seen as a stopgap arrangement to ensure continuity of emergency services until permanent recruitment is approved. However, officials warn that prolonged dependence on temporary personnel could affect response efficiency and long-term planning.Apart from the fire department proposal, the standing committee agenda includes several infrastructure and administrative decisions. These include approval for cement concrete roads in Dharampeth and Makardhokda areas, sewer line and water pipeline projects in Laxmi Nagar and Lakadganj zones, and procurement of a new fire tender worth Rs1.22 crore.The panel will also consider extending contract of a land acquisition consultant, funding uniforms for fire personnel, and granting post facto approval for increased election-related printing expenses.With key proposals lined up, the meeting is expected to address both immediate service gaps and ongoing infrastructure needs, even as the larger issue of stalled fire department recruitment remains unresolved.OTHER PROPOSALS ON AGENDAINFRASTRUCTURE & CIVIL WORKSCC Road, Dharampeth zone (Hill Top) Rs56.47 lakhCC Road, Makardhokda Rs1.34 croreSewer trunk line, Humpyard Road (Laxmi Nagar) Rs1.36 crore200mm HDPE water pipeline, Lakadganj Rs25.57 lakhFIRE & EMERGENCY SERVICESUniform allowance for 189 fire officials (2 years) Rs35.11 lakhFire tender (12,000L water + 1,000L foam) Rs1.22 crorePUBLIC HEALTHDiagnostic centre PPP, Mouza Jattarodi — CGHS rates with 22% discount(Heat mitigation plan excluded as per context)ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSESVoter list printing (revised cost) Rs59.80 lakh(Initial estimate: Rs19.52 lakh)
