Despite the government announcing the appointment of six senior officers in the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES), including the Chief Fire Officer (CFO), nine of the top 19 positions remain vacant, with Diwali fast approaching.
The appointments, confirmed by official orders on Monday, came three days after the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s (AMC) Staff Selection and Appointments Committee finalised them on October 18. However, concerns remain about whether the newly appointed officers will be able to assume their roles immediately due to prior commitments and questions about interim leadership of the AFES during this period remain unanswered. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Arjav Shah indicated that these issues would likely be “resolved shortly”.
The AMC issued four separate orders for the six positions, including CFO, one Additional CFO appointed through selection, two Additional CFOs promoted from within, and two Deputy CFOs. According to the orders, Amit Dongre has been named CFO for Ahmedabad City, while Mihir Rana has been appointed Additional CFO through selection. Long-serving AFES officers Mithun Mistry and Jayesh Khadia have been promoted to the newly created Additional CFO positions. Meanwhile, Hiren Chaudhari and Dhrumit Gandhi have been appointed as Deputy CFOs.
While the CFO position has now been filled, sources suggest that Dongre is unlikely to assume his duties before Diwali. In the meantime, Additional CFO Jayesh Khadia, who has served as acting CFO since February 2022, will continue to oversee the fire service.
Despite filling the three vacant Additional CFO positions, staffing shortages persist. Four Deputy CFO roles were initially vacant, and although two have been filled through promotions and two through new appointments, five Deputy CFO positions remain unoccupied. Additionally, while the number of Divisional Officers (DOs) has doubled from four to eight, four of these posts are still vacant. Three DOs are also embroiled in civil litigation and despite their services being terminated by the AMC, they continue in their roles due to a stay order from the Gujarat High Court.
The staffing shortages come at a critical time, as Diwali typically sees a sharp rise in fire-related incidents. Last year, between November 10 and 14, AFES responded to 307 fire and rescue calls, with 136 of them occurring on Diwali day alone. The service’s jurisdiction has also expanded significantly, now covering over 503 square kilometres following the AMC’s incorporation of surrounding villages in June 2020, making Ahmedabad the largest city in Gujarat.
This expansion includes Vanch village in Daskroi, located on the city’s outskirts, which houses around 42 firecracker manufacturing units. As a result, AFES now bears additional responsibility for this high-risk area, adding to the pressure ahead of the festival.
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