Nagpur: The BJP’s return to power in the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) after four years of administrator rule had raised hopes of faster decision-making, stronger governance and improved civic services. Instead, the civic administration appears to be moving in the opposite direction by increasingly outsourcing its core responsibilities to private consultants, triggering serious concerns over governance, accountability and the very role of its own officers.

Until now, private Project Management Consultants (PMCs) were primarily engaged for the execution and supervision of major infrastructure projects. However, the NMC has now crossed a significant line by approving the appointment of a Project Management Unit (PMU), a private agency that will not merely monitor projects but will also help formulate policies, prepare development strategies and guide the Corporation’s functioning. The civic body will spend more than Rs 4.24 crore on the arrangement.

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The move has drawn strong criticism from within the civic establishment. Senior officials contend that policy formulation is the exclusive responsibility of elected representatives and the civic administration, as such decisions directly impact lakhs of citizens. Entrusting this crucial function to private consultants, they argue, amounts to diluting institutional accountability and undermining the authority of the municipal administration.

Standing Committee clears PMU proposal

The proposal received approval from Standing Committee Chairperson Shivani Dani following a recommendation from NMC’s Project-2 Department. A tender for appointing the PMU was floated on May 14, 2026.

Only two firms participated in the bidding process, O Turk Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd. and A.S. Kulkarni & Associates. O Turk emerged as the lowest bidder and was awarded a contract worth Rs 4,24,19,844. The firm has been tasked with assisting the Corporation in securing funds under the Urban Challenge Fund and other government schemes, besides providing policy and strategic support.

The tender process itself has come under scrutiny. Normally, if fewer than three bidders participate, the tender is reissued to ensure wider competition and transparency. In this case, despite receiving only two bids, the process was not repeated.

Adding to the controversy, after O Turk was declared the lowest bidder, the second bidder, A.S. Kulkarni & Associates, reportedly agreed to execute work at the same quoted rate. The outcome effectively accommodated both firms: O Turk was appointed as the PMU, while A.S. Kulkarni & Associates was separately engaged to provide additional manpower.

The arrangement has fuelled questions over the rationale behind conducting a competitive tender if both bidders were eventually accommodated. Critics argue that the sequence of events defeats the very objective of competitive bidding and raises concerns over procedural transparency.

Past consultancy experience raises fresh doubts

Scepticism has also been reinforced by NMC’s previous experience with private consultants. Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, the civic body had hired KPMG as a consultant to improve the city’s cleanliness performance. Despite the engagement, Nagpur reportedly failed to achieve the expected improvement in national cleanliness rankings, prompting critics to question whether another expensive consultancy will produce any better results.

Are civic officials becoming redundant?

The decision has reignited a larger debate over the role of NMC’s own administrative machinery. Only recently, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had directed the Municipal Commissioner to go beyond establishment expenditure norms and fill long-pending vacancies in the Corporation to strengthen governance.

Instead of augmenting its in-house administrative capacity, however, the NMC appears to be increasingly relying on private consultants for functions that traditionally fall within the domain of government officials.

The development has led to a pointed question being raised in civic circles: If private agencies are to formulate policies, prepare strategies, mobilise funds and guide implementation, will NMC’s highly paid officers be left with little more than signing files and drawing salaries?