Avinash Sapkal appointed as PMC’s Solid Waste Chief; Sandeep Kadam transferred to Vehicle Department
PMC
In a key reshuffle at the Pune Municipal Corporation, Deputy Commissioner Avinash Sapkal has been given charge of the Solid Waste Management department while Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kadam has been transferred to the vehicle department.
Pune, Maharashtra | Nov 22, 2025 – :
The Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has announced an administrative reshuffle that places Deputy Commissioner Avinash Sapkal in charge of the Solid Waste Management department, while Deputy Commissioner Sandeep Kadam will now lead the Vehicle Department. The decision, made by the civic administration this week, comes at a time when waste management and transport logistics are among the most pressing civic priorities in the city.
Sapkal’s new appointment places him at the centre of PMC’s ongoing efforts to improve sanitation, optimize garbage collection, and strengthen infrastructure for waste handling. Residents and officials alike expect his leadership will accelerate night-time collection drives, increase segregation of waste at source and improve the city’s overall cleanliness ranking. The move is being interpreted as a strategic one, reflecting PMC’s intention to give top priority to waste management ahead of local body elections next year.
Kadam’s transfer to the Vehicle Department is also noteworthy. This department deals with permit-issuance, municipal vehicle fleets, parking and transport regulation — areas where Pune has faced challenges such as traffic congestion, parking shortages and fleet maintenance. Officials say his experience in zonal administration may help the civic body tackle these issues more robustly.
Those familiar with the administration say the reshuffle is part of a broader realignment aimed at improving performance across departments that affect citizens daily. With rapid urban growth, especially in the newly added areas around Pune, the PMC is under increasing pressure to deliver cleaner, more efficient services. Assigning Sapkal to waste and Kadam to vehicles signals the administration’s recognition of these high-impact areas.
For residents, the changes offer hope. In recent years, garbage collection delays, overflowing bins and disposal site issues have drawn criticism. Meanwhile, parking and vehicle-related frustrations have also been consistent complaints. The dual change is seen as an attempt to respond to these concerns directly by placing experienced officers in key roles.
PMC insiders note that Sapkal will be expected to coordinate closely with zone officers, especially in peripheral areas where service gaps are more acute. He is also expected to report regular progress on performance indicators such as tonnage of waste collected, percentage of segregated waste and reduction in open dumping. Kadam, for his part, will be tasked with streamlining transport permits, monitoring regulatory compliance and ensuring municipal vehicle operations are efficient and well-maintained.
The timing of the reshuffle coming months ahead of civic polls — has also not gone unnoticed. Many analysts say the PMC is signaling what its agenda will be if it retains control, by emphasising core service delivery. Both appointments may be intended to showcase administrative reform rather than purely political messaging.
There are challenges ahead. For Sapkal, waste management still involves dealing with land-fills, incineration opposition, vehicle fleet maintenance and public awareness campaigns. For Kadam, the sheer scale of the vehicle-population in Pune and parking pressures make any quick fix difficult. Success will depend on coordination across departments, timely policy action and public engagement.
In the coming weeks, PMC is expected to announce operational changes aligned with the reshuffle — possibly expanding night-collection, increasing segregation incentives, revisiting parking norms and enhancing vehicle fleet monitoring systems. Citizens will be watching closely to see whether the appointments lead to visible improvements.
For now, Sapkal and Kadam take on new roles that put them in the frontline of Pune’s urban services transformation. Their performance in these departments may set the tone for civic satisfaction across the city in the year ahead. As the civic body ramps up efforts, the reshuffle marks a clear shift in PMC’s administrative priorities.
