The Times of India       23.09.2014 

Nagpur Municipal Corporation promotes two tainted officials

NAGPUR:
Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has started the process to promote
two tainted officials — tax assessor Shashikant Hastak and deputy
director (health) Dr Milind Ganvir. Shockingly, Hastak is to be promoted
as superintending engineer (public works) despite a departmental
enquiry (DE) going on against him in the water works scam. An enquiry is
underway against Ganvir too.

At the civic body, superintending
engineer is the top post in public works department. Hastak has been
shortlisted for the post due to political pressure, alleged sources.

NMC’s Promotion Verification Committee headed by municipal commissioner
Shyam Wardhane has approved the proposals to promote Hastak and Ganvir
in a meeting on Monday.

Additional municipal commissioner
Hemant Kumar Pawar told TOI, the general body will take a final
decision. “The committee has approved the proposal related to Hastak and
recommended promotion. It is a temporary promotion. The post has been
lying vacant since long and its additional charge was with
superintending engineer (water works) Prakash Urade. NMC general body
passed a resolution and submitted it to the state government, seeking
permission to fill the post by promotion from NMC itself. The government
said the post can be filled with promotion till an appointment is made
by it,” he said.

Pawar added that an undertaking will be taken
from Hastak while giving promotion. “Promotion can be given despite
department enquiry subject to the undertaking that the concerned
official will follow the order to be pronounced in the enquiry,” he
said.

The civic chief had himself admitted Hastak’s mistake in
water works scam and directed departmental enquiry a few months ago.
Leader of opposition group Vikas Thakre had exposed the scam in general
body. Hastak had issued work orders for works costing Rs35.77 crore to
four contractors illegally, without any tendering process.

Similarly, the civic chief had endorsed irregularities by Ganvir and
others from health department in road sweeping machine scam and two more
cases. Departmental inquiry is going against Ganvir too.

It is
an indirect promotion for Ganvir, who will become boss of entire health
department permanently. Ganvir is assistant health officer but has
officiating charge of health officer (sanitation) and deputy director
(health). Ganvir was promoted as health officer (sanitation) in 2010.
The general body had passed the resolution but the administration had
not implemented it for last four years.

Besides, the
designation has been changed to medical officer health (MoH) in the new
Maharashtra Municipal Corporations (MMC) Act since December 2012.
Accordingly, the process was started to change the designation.

On Friday, the Promotion Verification Committee approved the proposal
to change the designation. The general body will take the final decision
before Ganvir assumes charge and become MoH.

Pawar said Ganvir
had been already promoted in 2010, so the committee was not at fault
for recommending change in the designation.