The appointment of Shailesh Kulkarni as the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation’s city engineer has triggered questions over whether seniority was followed in assigning charge of the post, which oversees proposals for major civic infrastructure and development works.
Kulkarni, an executive engineer, has been given additional charge after the post fell vacant when Anita Pardeshi was transferred to the Gram Sadak Yojana in Nashik. The appointment has prompted concern among civic officials because six officers are senior to Kulkarni in the department’s hierarchy.
Surendra Tengale, executive engineer in KDMC’s Town Planning department, was also in contention. Tengale is ranked fourth in the seniority list, while Kulkarni is ranked seventh. Other officers listed ahead of Kulkarni include Sandeep Tambe, Shashim Kedar, Shailesh Malekar and Prasad Sakhdev.
KDMC’s civil engineering department has 12 sanctioned posts for executive engineers. Tengale and Kulkarni belong to the open category. Tengale has handled town planning and Smart City projects and has about three years of service remaining, according to the report.
The appointment has led to allegations that the seniority list was overlooked and that other eligible officers were bypassed. KDMC commissioner Abhinav Goel told The Times of India that 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, Kulkarni has been assigned additional charge, Goel said.
Goel also said that some officers senior to Kulkarni are nearing retirement, while others are already holding similar posts. He said there was no mandatory rule requiring the senior-most officer to be appointed city engineer, adding that appointments could also be based on an officer’s capabilities and suitability.
The dispute has also drawn attention to a reported precedent in Navi Mumbai, where an officer from the electrical department has held the city engineer’s post. Civic officials have questioned whether a similar approach could be considered in KDMC for Prashant Bhagwat, currently an additional city engineer in the Electricity department and senior to several officers in the hierarchy.
The city engineer’s office has a central role in KDMC’s project administration. The post-holder prepares proposals for major civic infrastructure and development works before they are submitted to the municipal commissioner for approval. The immediate arrangement will remain in place until the state government issues an order on the appointment.
