Chandigarh: Fire wing staff face lay-off heat amid MC fund crunch

The Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) has opted not to extend the contracts of 90 outsourced employees in the fire and rescue services department beyond March 31, a significant cost-cutting measure amid a mounting financial deficit.

Municipal commissioner Amit Kumar, citing the MC’s nearly ₹200 crore deficit for the outgoing fiscal year, has decided against renewing the contracts, despite multiple extensions in previous years.

While MC officials maintain that fire services will remain unaffected, the decision to streamline staff during a financial downturn is expected to strain the city’s firefighting and rescue operations.

Currently, the MC’s fire department comprises 473 regular employees, including 291 firefighters, 63 drivers, and 119 other staff members. The 90 outsourced employees set to be terminated include 47 firemen, 16 drivers, three data entry operators, seven sweepers, seven gardeners, three peons, and seven MPS workers.

The issue of extending the services of these fire department employees was raised during the recent MC House meeting on March 25. Former mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor questioned the decision, arguing that if the civic body could propose extending the contracts of nine sanitary inspectors (who were terminated in February), then the 90 employees should also retain their positions. Despite heated arguments from councillors, commissioner Amit Kumar remained firm on the cost-cutting stance, leading to the deferral of the sanitary inspectors’ extension as well.

This decision follows a sharp increase in expenses related to outsourced manpower and aligns with Punjab governor and UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria’s directive for MC officials and councillors to focus on improving revenue generation by rationalising manpower. Official figures presented at the General House meeting on November 23 revealed that the corporation’s total staff strength increased from 8,587 employees in 2023-24 to 9,748 employees in 2024-25. This data indicated the hiring of 1,161 employees (mostly on a contractual basis) in just seven months, a revelation that surprised councillors from all parties. Former mayor Kuldeep Kumar Dhalor questioned, “Who are these employees and where are they working?”

In a prior move to rationalise manpower and reduce expenditure, the MC had terminated outsourced employees aged 60 and above in December 2024, resulting in the loss of approximately 200 jobs. Also in December, commissioner Kumar had issued an order prohibiting the hiring or replacement of employees without prior approval from his office.