Nagpur: “I want all civic officials to strictly remain in their respective offices after 2pm,” said mayor Neeta Thakre. With the message, she drew a line under a long-standing grievance of Nagpur’s citizens about the missing officers.For years, especially between March 2022 and Jan 2026 (during the administration’s rules), residents walking into the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) headquarters or its zonal offices with complaints about erratic water supply, choked sewer lines, or delayed civic works were often met with a familiar refrain — “Saheb is on a site visit or is in a meeting”. Now, the civic body has moved to change that narrative.Acting on the mayor’s directives and backing from ruling party leader Narendra Borkar, the general administration department issued a circular on Feb 10, mandating that all officers remain physically present in their offices after 2pm. The order effectively reorganises the civic work day: mornings are for field visits, inspections, and on-site reviews; afternoons are for office presence and public interaction.The circular also calls for better planning and coordination, ensuring that administrative duties do not clash with citizen accessibility. Complaints, internal reviews, and inspection-related work are to be scheduled in a manner that guarantees officials are available to the public in the latter half of the day.The announcement did not emerge in isolation. At the mayor’s oath-taking ceremony earlier this month, Borkar signalled that a formal attendance rule was in the works. The February 10 directive now transformed that political promise into administrative policy.Assistant commissioner (GAD) Shyam Kapase described the move as citizen-centric, aimed at ensuring that residents no longer return from civic offices without meeting the concerned authority.Whether this marks a cultural shift within the NMC or merely adds another rule to the books will depend on enforcement. For now, the tone from the top is unmistakable: after 2pm, there will be no more disappearing acts. Officers are expected to be at their desks — and answerable.
