KALYAN: The appointment of Shailesh Kulkarni as city engineer of the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) has raised questions in civic circles over the seniority criteria followed for the key post.Kulkarni has been given additional charge of the post, which fell vacant after Anita Pardeshi was transferred to the Gram Sadak Yojana in Nashik. Executive Engineer of Town Planning Surendra Tengale, ranked fourth in the seniority list, was also in contention. Kulkarni is seventh, with six officers ahead of him.The civil engineering department has 12 sanctioned posts for executive engineers. Besides Tengale, the seniority list includes Sandeep Tambe, Shashim Kedar, Shailesh Malekar and Prasad Sakhdev. Tengale and Kulkarni are from the open category. Tengale has handled town planning and Smart City projects and has around three years of service left.The decision has prompted allegations that the seniority list was overlooked and other eligible officers were bypassed.KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goel, however, told TOI, “The city engineer’s post is meant to be filled by an officer appointed by the state government. Until the state government issues an order appointing an officer as city engineer, Kulkarni has been given additional charge,” he said.Goel said some officers senior to Kulkarni are nearing retirement, while others are already holding similar posts.“There is no mandatory rule that the senior-most officer has to be given the post of city engineer. Appointments can also be made based on an officer’s capabilities and suitability,” he said.The issue has also brought attention to a precedent in Navi Mumbai, where a city engineer from the electrical department has reportedly held the post. If the same criteria are applied at KDMC, civic circles have questioned whether Prashant Bhagwat, currently posted as additional city engineer in the Electricity department and senior to several officers in the hierarchy, could also be considered for the post.The city engineer plays a key role in preparing proposals for major civic infrastructure and development works before they are submitted to the commissioner for approval.
