The MLA has written that rapid population growth and urbanisation has led to a sharp increase in complaints related to civic services. “The existing eight zonal offices are inadequate to address the problems and it leads to delays in redressal. Resultantly, the objective of decentralisation envisaged under the Municipal Corporation Act is not being achieved,” he said.PCMC’s zonal offices increased from six to eight in 2017. The State Election Commission records showed that in the last nine years (between 2017 and 2026), the city’s voters have increased by over five lakh. Jagtap said the BJP is carrying out a Good Governance initiative across the country to decentralise various govt services and make them accessible to citizens. Decentralisation of ward offices in PCMC aligns with the same idea, he added.Meanwhile, Hardikar told TOI that increasing the number of zonal offices is an administrative decision and would have to initiated at the local level through a general body resolution. “Also, setting up additional zonal offices will require more manpower and reorganisation of ward boundaries. The state urban development department will have to approve the new posts,” he said.Hardikar further said the civic body would definitely have to expand the number of zonal offices due to the population surge. A senior PCMC official said the civic body is faced with an acute staff shortage, with recruitment pending in several departments. “Each new zonal office would require at least 40 to 50 additional civic staff,” the official said.A proposal seeking approval for PCMC’s Akrutibandh (sanctioned strength) has been pending with the state govt since Aug 2023. At present, the civic body has less than 5,000 employees and has sought approval for 11,560. “We can run two additional zonal offices if the current vacant posts are filled,” the official added.
