On the selection process for the next full-time Chief Fire Officer, Pani said that a decision was yet to be taken. He, however, said that the matter would be taken up on a priority basis.An order issued by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) on August 10 handing out additional charge of Chief Fire Officer (CFO) of the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) to two officers has created confusion among the lower-rank officers, sources in the department said.The order was issued after the services of CFO Amitkumar Anandrao Dongre were terminated following his arrest by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).In the order, the AMC has given additional charge of two top posts, that of CFO and Head of Prevention Wing, to two Additional CFOs, leaving a pertinent question: who would be the final signatory of the Fire Safety Certificates (FSCs) issued to buildings in Gujarat’s largest city?According to the August 10 order, Mithun P Mistry was appointed in-charge CFO of Ahmedabad and Jayesh P Khadia was made in-charge of the Prevention Wing of the AFES that looks after matters of Fire Safety Certificates (FSCs), training and awareness initiatives.The Indian Express spoke to several officers in the AFES who claimed that the “ambiguity” in the AMC order has made it difficult to decide whether Mistry was in-charge of the force including the prevention wing, or that the civic body had separated the powers of the CFO and divided them among the two officers.However, Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Bancha Nidhi Pani clarified that interim CFO Mithun Mistry has final say on all matters of the AFES, including the Prevention Wing. He affirmed that “the powers have been devolved, not divided.”“Mithun Mistry is the senior-most officer according to the merit list, so he has been given charge of CFO with the powers to approve the FSCs,” the AMC chief told The Indian Express.Story continues below this adOn the selection process for the next full-time Chief Fire Officer, Pani said that a decision was yet to be taken. He, however, said that the matter would be taken up on a priority basis.The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Wednesday said they had received four more days of remand of Amitkumar Anandrao Dongre, the former CFO of the AFES.The local court granted the four-day remand after ACB said that it wanted to take Dongre to his house in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, and check his bank lockers as part of the investigation.Meanwhile, the other accused, Bhavsinh Pratap Jhala, was sent to judicial custody and later shifted to the Sabarmati Central Jail.Story continues below this adThe ACB had on August 7 arrested Jhala, 31, a private person, near Vijay crossroads and allegedly recovered Rs 36,000 paid to them as part of a bribe to approve FSCs for six buildings at Rs 6,000 per building. Dongre was arrested later on the basis of an alleged phone call between him and Jhala, talking about the bribe amount. The complainant in this case was a Fire Safety Officer (FSO) who provides fire safety related services in Ahmedabad.Dongre was appointed CFO of the AFES on October 18, 2024, by the Staff Selection and Appointments Committee of the AMC. The post had been vacant after CFO M F Dastoor retired on January 31, 2021.Dongre took charge as CFO on December 24, 2024.He was arrested by the Gujarat ACB on August 7, 2026, less than two years after his appointment as CFO, following which he had been suspended by the AMC. On August 8, he was produced before a court which sent to ACB remand till August 12 and the AMC terminated Dongre’s services on August 10.Further investigation in the case remains underway. Brendan Dabhi works with The Indian Express, focusing his comprehensive reporting primarily on Gujarat. He covers the region's most critical social, legal, and administrative sectors, notably specializing at the intersection of health, social justice, and disasters. Expertise Health and Public Policy: He has deep expertise in healthcare issues, including rare diseases, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), the complex logistics of organ transplants, and public health challenges like drug-resistant TB and heat health surveillance. His on-ground reporting during the COVID-19 pandemic and Mucormycosis was critical in exposing healthcare challenges faced by marginalized communities in Gujarat. Social Justice and Legal Administration: He reports on the functioning of the legal and police system, including the impact of judicial philosophy, forensics and crucial administrative reforms (. He covers major surveillance and crackdown exercises by the Gujarat police and security on the international border. Disaster and Crisis Management: His work closely tracks how government and civic bodies respond to large-scale crises, providing essential coverage on the human and administrative fallout of disasters including cyclones, floods, conflict, major fires and reported extensively on the AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad. Civic Infrastructure and Governance: Provides timely reports on critical civic failures, including large scale infrastructure projects by the railways and civic bodies, as well as the enforcement of municipal regulations and their impact on residents and heritage. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on InstagramTags:ahmedabadAhmedabad Municipal Corporation