Civic body’s workforce crisis puts pothole repairs in peril

Nagpur: The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) is grappling with a critical staffing shortfall, with nearly half of its sanctioned posts lying vacant across various departments. This has hampered the civic body's ability to manage essential services like road maintenance, public sanitation, and waste management.
A report by NMC's general administration department released last month highlights the concerning 47.48% overall vacancy rate across departments (which amounts to 8,537 vacant posts out of 17,981 sanctioned positions), affecting the city's population of around 30 lakh spread over 227 sq km.
One of the worst-hit departments is the hotmix division, responsible for road maintenance across NMC jurisdiction. Of the 12 sanctioned posts, only six employees remain on the roster. A senior official from the department explained, “We are functioning with minimal manpower, and the deteriorating condition of the city’s roads is a direct consequence of this shortfall.”
The public works department (PWD), which oversees road infrastructure and public amenities, is similarly crippled. With 413 sanctioned positions, only 98 workers are currently employed, leaving 315 posts vacant. The manpower shortage has exacerbated the city’s road conditions, particularly during the ongoing monsoon season when potholes and deteriorating infrastructure have become a major concern.
The staffing crisis extends to NMC’s revenue-generating arm, the property tax department. Out of 408 sanctioned positions, only 245 are filled, and 108 of those workers have been deployed to other departments, leaving just 137 personnel for property tax collection, estate management, and market regulation.
The shortage of manpower has forced top officials to take on multiple roles. Deputy municipal commissioners Prakash Warade and Milind Meshram, from the general administration and revenue departments respectively, are currently juggling additional responsibilities as assistant municipal commissioners for Dharampeth and Laxmi Nagar zones. Meshram is also tasked with overseeing property tax, market regulation, estate management, and several other critical civic functions. This overload has strained their ability to manage their primary duties.
Even the condition of sanitary staff is also not satisfactory. Despite having a crisis, around 1,218 sanitary workers were deployed to other departments.
An NMC official said any urban local body’s establishment expenditure should not be more than 35% of its budget. However, the NMC’s establishment expenditure is 34.26%.