The role of CFO involves attending cases of serious fire and other emergency calls
Gujarat High Court has been lashing out at the state government and civic bodies over non-compliance of its orders on fire safety time and again. Fire tragedies are reported frequently from hospitals and high-rises. But it looks like the issue of fire safety is not top priority for the authorities.
In Bhavnagar and Junagadh municipal corporations, the charge of Chief Fire Officer has been handed over to a veterinary doctor and an estate officer respectively. In fact, six out of eight municipal corporations in Gujarat do not have full-time Chief Fire Officers. According to sources, Bhavnagar Municipal Corporation has not seen a qualified full-time CFO in the past 15 years.
Even in Smart City Ahmedabad, the post is held by an in-charge officer. Besides, other than the post of CFO, when it comes to other posts too, the fire department is perennially short-staffed. Except for Rajkot and Jamnagar municipal corporations, the other six civic bodies have in-charge fire officers.
In Ahmedabad, Rajesh Bhatt has been given the charge after M F Dastur retired early this year. In Bhavnagar, in-charge CFO Mahesh Hirapara is a veterinary doctor while in Junagadh, Bharat Dodiya, an estate officer, is holding the charge.
Surat also has in-charge CFO Basant Parekh on the post for the past three years. Same is the case in Vadodara, where the department is headed by in-charge officer Parth Brahmbhatt. The pending appointments of full-time CFOs only reflect the sheer apathy of the municipal corporations and the state government. In most corporations, the posts have been vacant for over three years. The eligible applicant for the post of a chief fire officer requires a diploma or degree in fire engineering and 15 years of experience as deputy CFO. Usually, the protocol is to appoint the most senior divisional fire officer to the post of CFO when the latter retires. But at many civic bodies, even the post of DFO is lying vacant. In Ahmedabad, Rajesh Bhatt who was the DFO was made the CFO, albeit in-charge CFO.
Bhatt is set to retire early next year. According to a senior fire official of the AMC, there appears to be no reason for delay in regular appointment as Bhatt has all the necessary qualifications.
SMC to start hiring soon
Surat Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani told Mirror, “In the past three years, two people were selected but they refused to join. They demanded more salary. We will start hiring process soon,” he said.
Bhavnagar Municipal Commissioner Ajay Dahiya admitted that the appointment of Chief Fire Officer is on a provisional basis and the person serving on the post is a veterinary doctor. “However, it is also true that the person has excellent knowledge and has been performing well at the post,” he said.
“According to the recruitment rules of mahanagarpalika, a divisional fire officer has to be promoted to the post of CFO. However, since we currently do not have any officer at that rank who is senior enough, a provisional appointment has been made for the post,” he added.
According to Junagadh Municipal Commissioner Rajesh Tanna, Bharat Dodiya of the estate division is holding the post of Junagadh CFO. “Since, the recruitment rules were not finalised earlier, this post has a provisional appointment. But, since now the rules are in place, we will initiate the recruitment process,” Tanna said. Rajkot Chief Fire Officer Illesh Kher has been holding the post for the past one-and-a-half years.
His is a permanent appointment to the post. The role of CFO involves attending cases of serious fire, house collapse and other emergency calls besides guiding the officers and staff at all emergency calls.
— Inputs by Nischal Sanghavi and Gaurav Khara
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