Govt Clears Fire Service Rules, Paves Way To Recruit 350 Personnel In NMC

Nagpur: Ending a delay of nearly two-and-a-half years, the Maharashtra govt on Tuesday approved the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) Fire and Emergency Services Department Service Entry (Classification, Recruitment and Promotion) Rules, 2026, clearing the decks for recruitment to 350 vacant posts in the fire department.The approval is expected to provide much-needed manpower to a department currently operating 12 fire stations with only 119 permanent employees and officers, despite an approved staffing strength of 870 posts for 13 fire stations.Based on the Urban Development Department's govt resolution (GR), the NMC commissioner will now issue a circular initiating the recruitment process. Officials said the recruitment exercise launched in December 2023 will be treated as cancelled, and a fresh process will be undertaken under the newly approved rules.One of the key changes pertains to physical eligibility criteria for women candidates. Earlier, applicants were required to have a minimum height of 162cm and weight of 50kg. Under the revised rules, the minimum height has been reduced to 157cm and weight to 46kg, a change expected to widen the pool of eligible candidates.Chief fire officer Tushar Barahate welcomed the decision and said the revised rules would help address the department's acute manpower shortage. The recruitment is likely to be conducted through TCS, he added.He expressed hope that the recruitment process could be completed within two to three months. The recruitment is likely to be conducted through TCS, he added.INFOTimeline of Recruitment DelayMay 13, 2016: Staffing pattern of 870 posts approved for 13 fire stationsDec 5, 2023: Recruitment advertisement issuedDec 2023: Recruitment process stalled over physical eligibility criteria for women candidatesJuly 18, 2024: Proposal for amendments to service rules sent to Urban Development DepartmentJan 2025: Revised recruitment rules proposal submittedJune 2025 to Jan 2026: Multiple rounds of correspondence between NMC and the state govtJune 9, 2026: State govt grants final approval to revised recruitment and promotion rules