The Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation has given Shailesh Kulkarni additional charge as city engineer, prompting questions over whether the civic body followed its seniority list while filling a post that oversees proposals for major infrastructure and development works.
The post became vacant after Anita Pardeshi was transferred to the Gram Sadak Yojana in Nashik. Kulkarni, who is seventh on the seniority list, was given additional responsibility despite six officers being ranked above him. Surendra Tengale, the executive engineer for town planning, is ranked fourth and was also considered for the position.
The civil engineering department has 12 sanctioned posts for executive engineers. The seniority list also includes Sandeep Tambe, Shashim Kedar, Shailesh Malekar and Prasad Sakhdev. Tengale and Kulkarni belong to the open category, according to the report.
Tengale has handled town planning and Smart City projects and has around three years of service remaining. The decision has therefore led to allegations in civic circles that the seniority list was overlooked and other eligible officers were bypassed. The report does not cite a formal order setting out the selection criteria beyond the municipal commissioner’s explanation.
KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goel told The Times of India that the city engineer’s post is intended to be filled by an officer appointed by the state government. Until the state government issues such an order, Kulkarni has been given additional charge, he said.
Goel also 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 dispute has drawn attention to the administrative basis on which a key engineering post is assigned in a municipal corporation. The city engineer prepares proposals for major civic infrastructure and development works before they are submitted to the commissioner for approval, placing the office at an important point in KDMC’s project pipeline.
The issue has also revived discussion about a reported precedent in Navi Mumbai, where a city engineer from the electrical department has held the post. Civic circles have questioned whether a similar approach could be applied at KDMC and whether Prashant Bhagwat, currently an additional city engineer in the electricity department and senior to several officers in the hierarchy, could also be considered.
Kulkarni’s additional charge remains in place until the state government issues an order appointing an officer as city engineer, according to the commissioner.
