Disputable Chief Fire Officer Shashikant Kale to be banished

Shashikant Kale, the controversial former Chief Fire Officer (CFO) (in-charge) of the Mumbai Fire Brigade, will be dismissed from the service after a departmental investigation found him guilty of concealing facts about his service, including his suspension due to corruption charges, as well as report manipulation while applying for the President's Meritorious Service Awards. The decision was made at a meeting of the standing committee on Tuesday. This week, a full report detailing the investigation's findings was presented to the BMC standing committee as well as the municipal body's general body meeting in the hopes of receiving final approval for Kale's dismissal. According to the article, Kale submitted a petition to BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal in December 2020, proposing names of firemen for the prestigious president's awards, as well as himself as a full-time CFO.

In November final year, Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner (BMC) officer Iqbal Singh Chahal himself located that he (Kale) had hidden facts of corruption fees towards him whilst making use of to be taken into consideration for the distinguished President’s Meritorious Service Awards, which might be awarded on Republic Day. The departmental inquiry record stated that Kale hid the info of his suspension (between 2014 and 2015) or even cast ‘superb’ remarks in his service confidential reports of 2012-13 and 2013-14. The inquiry team observed that Kale, in his utility for the award, wrote that his service file became easy and without any suspension or negative feedback.

Taking after this on November 24, 2020, Chahal had composed to Mahesh Pathak, Vital Secretary - Urban Development Department (UDD), illuminating that Kale had recorded “false” data within the application form that has got to be filled out by those who wish to be prescribed for the President’s grant. He asked the UDD to evacuate Kale’s title from the list of officers who will be prescribed by the Maharashtra government to the President’s Office for the prestigious medal.  As per the information released by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Kale, an appointee Chief Fire Officer (zone 6) who was given the extra charge of the CFO, in his application prescribing his title for the grant, had not uncovered that in a span of 14 a long time, he had been suspended twice on the charges of debasement which there had been adverse/negative notings in his Annual Confidential Report (ACR).

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