Pune: State minister Uday Samant on Thursday informed the legislative council that the govt will carry out a comprehensive investigation into alleged irregularities in the fire brigade department of the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). He stated that the inquiry will be conducted by an officer senior to the municipal commissioner, and strict action will be taken against anyone found responsible. Samant was responding to a question raised by MLC Amit Gorkhe, who alleged irregularities in the issuance of fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) by the PCMC fire brigade department. The BJP MLC claimed that large-scale irregularities may have occurred because the civic body did not have a full-time chief fire officer (CFO). “The administration kept the crucial post vacant for a long time. During this period, the department was headed by an officer of assistant commissioner rank, while a junior officer was given additional charge, instead of initiating a proper recruitment process to appoint a new CFO. This entire process raises suspicions,” Gorkhe said. Gorkhe also demanded an investigation into all fire NOCs issued during the tenure of Rushikesh Chippade, who was assigned additional charge of the CFO post.He further demanded scrutiny of equipment purchases made during his tenure. He alleged that when recruitment for the position was announced, several qualified candidates had applied but were deliberately declared ineligible by civic officials. The CFO post in PCMC has remained vacant since Oct 2022 following the retirement of the officer who previously held the position. Samant said the vacancy continued because the civic body could not find an eligible candidate. “A recrutiment advertisement was issued to fill two posts — regional fire officer and deputy chief fire officer — but candidates were required to have at least five years of experience, and those who did not meet this criterion were declared ineligible,” Samant said. MLC Shrikant Bhartiya said the govt should also investigate why only one officer was authorised to issue fire NOCs when seven sub-officers in the city were eligible to do so. “Another recruitment process launched in 2024 was halted midway, which raised doubts about the transparency of the entire process,” he said, adding that the probe should be conducted by an officer senior to the municipal commissioner.In response, Samant assured the council that all the concerns raised by the members would be investigated and confirmed that the probe would indeed be led by a senior officer above the rank of municipal commissioner
