Pune Cantonment Board Staff Shortage: 1,119 Posts Sanctioned, Only 510 Employees Working

Camp, 5th October 2026: The Pune Cantonment Board is functioning with only around 510 employees against 1,119 sanctioned posts, leaving several civic projects and essential services affected by an acute staff shortage.

The board has not conducted regular recruitment for several years, while employees continue to retire every month without being replaced. The resulting vacancies have increased the workload on existing staff and affected the functioning of various departments.

The sanctioned posts include positions such as peons, teachers, senior and junior clerks, engineers, nurses, doctors and other medical staff. The board operates several departments, including accounts, birth and death registration, engineering, encroachment and fire services.

However, the shortage of permanent employees has affected the functioning of these departments and delayed civic work. Residents have complained that routine work is often not completed within the stipulated time, while several services and tasks have to be outsourced.

The Pune Cantonment covers around 2,962 acres and comprises eight wards. With the population of the Pune Cantonment Assembly constituency increasing, the number of applications and cases received by the board has also risen. Several matters remain pending, forcing citizens to make repeated visits to the board office.

The staff shortage is particularly evident in departments such as accounts, where a lack of junior clerks has resulted in senior clerks taking on additional responsibilities. Several other departments are also operating with inadequate manpower.

Vidyadhar Pawar, Chief Executive Officer of the Pune Cantonment Board, acknowledged the staff shortage and said the situation was becoming increasingly difficult as employees retired without being replaced.

“Every month, one employee retires, but there is no fresh recruitment in their place. There has been no recruitment in the board for the past few years. An advertisement was issued in 2023 for the recruitment of new employees, but the Ministry of Defence imposed a stay on the process. As a result, new employees could not be recruited,” Pawar said.

He said the functioning of the board was currently dependent on a limited workforce, increasing the burden on existing employees.

With vacancies remaining unfilled and retirements continuing, the Pune Cantonment Board faces the challenge of maintaining civic services and clearing the growing backlog of work with limited manpower.