Three Sanitation Officials Suspended for Attendance Violations
Nagpur's municipal commissioner acts against absenteeism among sanitation staff.
Three officials suspended for being absent during duty hours.
Surprise inspections revealed 81 out of 457 sanitation workers were absent.
Fines imposed on absent workers and penalties for late reporting officials.
In a decisive move, Nagpur's Municipal Commissioner Vipin Itankar has suspended three civic officials from the Dhantoli and Mangalwari zones for failing to report to sanitation workers' attendance stands during their designated duty hours. The suspension orders are expected to be formally issued on Tuesday, reflecting the administration's commitment to maintaining accountability among sanitation staff.
This action follows a series of surprise inspections conducted on September 30 by additional commissioners Ankit, M. Muruganantham, and Milind Meshram, along with Deputy Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Bhagat and Chief Sanitation Officer Dr. Gajendra Mahalle. These inspections uncovered significant absenteeism, with 81 out of 457 sanitation workers absent from their posts across nine attendance stands.
During the inspections, specific instances of absenteeism were noted. In Dhantoli zone's ward 33, Meshram found that at Trisharan Chowk, two out of 54 sanitation workers were missing, while nine out of 67 were absent at the Ambedkar statue stand. Additionally, the stand-in-charge sanitation inspector Anup Tambe and jamadar Akash Jadhav were also reported absent. In Mangalwari zone's ward 10, at the Pagalkhana Chowk stand, Ankit discovered that 29 out of 89 sanitation workers and jamadar Ritesh Usarbarse were not present.
In response to these findings, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has decided to impose a fine of ₹1,000 on each absent worker and will deduct one day's leave from their service records. Furthermore, sanitation inspectors and jamadars who report late will face a penalty of ₹5,000. This initiative aims to reinforce the importance of punctuality and responsibility among sanitation personnel.
Deputy Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Bhagat emphasized that suspension letters for the officials will be issued shortly and that surprise inspections will continue. He stated, "Any officer or employee found absent will face action. Stricter measures will be implemented if absenteeism persists in the future," highlighting the administration's zero-tolerance policy towards neglect of duty.
