Srinagar, June 20, KDC: An administrative deadlock has gripped the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) as an officer assigned a third additional charge has reportedly failed to join his new post, effectively putting the department at loggerheads.
Earlier this month, via Order No. 510 of 2026, the SMC administration entrusted Firdous Ahad, an Assistant Executive Engineer already holding the additional charge of In-Charge Executive Engineer, Mechanical City Drainage Division, with the further charge of Chief Sanitation Officer (CSO).
The transition followed the retirement of the previous In-Charge CSO, Mudasir Hussain Banday.
Sources within the corporation reveal that despite the passage of time since the official order was issued by the Joint Commissioner (Administration), the officer has not yet assumed the responsibilities of the Chief Sanitation Officer.
The situation has created a bizarre bureaucratic standstill. The officer has neither been relieved of the newly assigned charge, nor has he formally joined the desk. Furthermore, the SMC administration has yet to reassign the critical role to any other competent officer possessing specific expertise in the sanitation sector.
The ongoing impasse has drawn sharp criticism from within the corporation. Insiders question why a vital public service wing is being allowed to suffer from a lack of leadership, especially when other qualified officers are available within the department who could step in to handle the sector effectively.
For now, the sanitation wing remains caught in administrative limbo, waiting for either the assigned officer to take charge or for the competent authority to issue fresh directives to resolve the crisis. (KDC)
