Pune Municipal Corporation Officials on Notice: Failure to Submit Asset Statements Brings Warning of Disciplinary Action

Pune, 19th February 2024: Officers belonging to Class One to Class Three of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) are mandated to annually submit details of their assets. However, this process has become a mere formality, lacking any effective cross-examination of the reported properties, leading to a lack of legal accountability. Furthermore, it has come to light that the asset statement files of certain Class I officers have not been submitted to the PMC administration; instead, they are still lying in the offices of the respective officers.

In response to this, Additional Commissioner Ravindra Binwade has issued a warning, urging these officers to promptly file their asset statements. Failure to comply may result in appropriate action being taken against them.

Approximately 20 thousand officers and employees are serving in various capacities within PMC from Class 1 to Class 4. According to the Municipal Bylaws, all officers belonging to Class 1 to Group 3 of the PMC are obligated to submit details of their assets, with Class IV employees being the exception.

These officers are required to submit their asset reports to the General Administration Department through their respective departments. However, it has been revealed that certain officials have not complied with this requirement, failing to submit their property details as mandated by the law.

The issue seems to be particularly prevalent among Class 1 officers. Upon reviewing the property statements, Additional Commissioner Ravindra Binwade noted a lack of compliance primarily from Class I officers, despite the submission of information by Class 2 and Class 3 employees. Consequently, a circular has been issued by him, directing immediate action for the submission of property details by Class I officers.

It has been observed that the asset statements of Class 1 officers, which are supposed to be submitted to the Commissioner through the relevant Additional Commissioner, have not reached the General Administration Department. Instead, the sealed packets containing these statements remain within the departments where the Class 1 officers are employed. This discrepancy is deemed a serious matter, prompting Additional Commissioner Ravindra Binwade to issue a warning in the circular. The circular emphasizes that disciplinary action will be taken against the responsible officials for violating the Municipal Bylaws.

As of the current figures (which may vary slightly), the manpower distribution in PMC is as follows:

– Class 1: 96 employees
– Class 2: 346 employees
– Class 3: 4,141 employees
– Class 4: 8,985 employees
– Cleaning staff: 7,238 employees