Om Prakash Divate Appointed as Additional Commissioner of Pune Municipal Corporation

Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 28th April 2025: Om Prakash Divate has been appointed as the new Additional Commissioner of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), filling one of the three vacant posts. The Urban Development Department issued the appointment order on Monday.

Divate, a Chief Officer Group (A) Selection Grade officer, has previously served as the administrator of Ichalkaranji Municipal Corporation. His appointment has once again highlighted the ongoing dispute between the state’s Revenue Department and Urban Development Department regarding administrative appointments.

A month ago, the Revenue Department issued orders to appoint Deputy Commissioner Mahesh Patil—who was recently promoted to the selection grade—as an Additional Commissioner in the PMC. It was widely expected that Patil would be given the position. However, Divate’s appointment came as a surprise to many within the civic administration.

Divate had earlier made headlines when he and Pallavi Patil were both appointed to key administrative roles in Ichalkaranji by different government departments, leading to an unusual situation where two officers worked simultaneously.

Municipal Officers Raise Concerns
Previously, the PMC had two sanctioned posts of Additional Commissioner. Later, the service rules were amended to create a third post, intended to be filled through promotion of municipal officers. Following this, officers like Suresh Jagtap, Dnyaneshwar Molak, and Vikas Kanade were appointed to the role.

However, after these appointments, the third Additional Commissioner post remained vacant for the past two years. The recent decision to bring in a State Government officer on deputation has triggered concerns among municipal officers, who are questioning whether they will ever get opportunities for promotion to such senior positions within the corporation.