Dr Nitin Rathod has been appointed additional commissioner of the Thane Municipal Corporation on deputation for three years, according to an order issued by the Maharashtra Urban Development Department on September 4. The appointment fills the post left vacant after Manish Joshi retired on August 31.
Rathod is an orthopaedic specialist and a Group A officer from the state Public Health Department. He will take charge of the Thane civic body after being formally relieved from his parent department, according to the report citing the government order. The appointment has been made under Section 39-A of the Maharashtra Municipal Corporations Act.
The additional commissioner’s post has a significant role in the municipal administration. The officer is responsible for coordinating different civic departments, reviewing major projects and handling administrative responsibilities when the municipal commissioner is unavailable. The vacancy following Joshi’s retirement had drawn attention because of the post’s importance to the corporation’s day-to-day functioning.
Rathod is currently serving as the special officer on duty to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. His appointment to a senior position in the Thane civic administration has therefore generated discussion in administrative and political circles, according to the report. The supplied material does not include a separate statement from Rathod, the municipal commissioner or the Urban Development Department beyond the reported government order.
The deputation has been approved for three years. However, the government retains the right to recall Rathod before the completion of the term if his services are considered necessary in the public interest. The borrowing organisation may also return him to his parent department if his services are no longer required.
If Rathod chooses to return to his original department, he will be required to give the government at least three months’ written notice, according to the conditions cited in the order. His formal assumption of charge at the Thane Municipal Corporation will follow his release from the Public Health Department
