3 min readAhmedabadOct 22, 2024 02:48 AM IST
First published on: Oct 22, 2024 at 02:48 AM IST
Even as the appointment to six senior positions in Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES), including the Chief Fire Officer (CFO), were announced by the government Monday, nine of top 19 posts continue to remain vacant and with less than a fortnight left, the work around Diwali is only going to add to the burden.
The six names were ratified through official orders three days after the Staff Selection and Appointments Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) made these appointments on October 18.
Apart from the vacant spots, questions regarding the joining of new officers due to prior commitments and the interim leadership of the AFES during this crucial period also remain unanswered. Deputy Municipal Commissioner Arjav Shah, however, said these questions are likely to be “sorted out shortly”.
The AMC on Monday, issued four orders for the six posts, including the Chief Fire Officer (CFO), one Additional CFO appointed through selection, two Additional CFOs through promotion, and that of two Deputy CFOs.
According to the government orders, Amit Dongre has been appointed CFO of Ahmedabad City, Mihir Rana has been appointed Additional CFO through selection. Two longtime officers of the AFES, Mithun Mistry and Jayesh Khadia, were promoted to the newly-created posts of Additional CFOs. Hiren Chaudhari and Dhrumit Gandhi were appointed Deputy CFOs. Since the AMC had created and sanctioned 37 more posts for the Fire Prevention Wing, several posts continue to remain vacant.
Even though the CFO post has been filled, Dongre is unlikely to join duty before Diwali, said sources in the AMC.Additional CFO Jayesh Khadia, who has been interim/acting/in-charge CFO of Ahmedabad since February 2022, confirmed he presently retains charge of the fire service.
In terms of Additional CFO posts, all three vacancies have been filled. There were four posts of Deputy CFOs and three more had been sanctioned, bringing the total to seven. While two were vacated by promotions of Mistry and Khadia and two were filled by appointments of Chaudhari and Gandhi, five posts are still vacant.The posts of Divisional Officers (DOs) had been doubled from four to eight.
Notably, the services of three incumbent DOs who are embroiled in civil litigation, were “terminated” by the AMC but they are continuing with their service due to a stay order from the Gujarat HC. Since one DO is already in service, as of now, four DO posts are vacant.
Diwali and rise in fire incidents
Last year, between November 10 and 14, the AFES dealt with 307 fire and rescue calls. On Diwali day, firefighters attended the highest number of calls — 136.
Further, the jurisdiction of the AFES was drastically increased to cover the expanded urban agglomeration of Ahmedabad that has grown to more than 503 sq km in area after surrounding villages were subsumed into the AMC in June 2020. This has made it the largest city in Gujarat.
The Vanch village in Daskroi, situated on the extreme outskirts of Ahmedabad, that is home to about 42 small and big firecracker manufacturing units, also falls under the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority and thus under the responsibility of the AFES.
Last year, between November 10 and 14, the AFES dealt with 307 fire and rescue calls. On Diwali day, firefighters attended the highest number of calls — 136. (Representative image) 
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