In a significant move, the Gujarat government has appointed District Collectors as Administrators for nine newly formed Municipal Corporations without elected bodies. These include Morbi, Anand, Nadiad (Kheda district), Vapi (Valsad district), Mehsana, Surendranagar, Navsari, Porbandar, and Gandhidham (Kutch district). While Collectors will manage the responsibilities of the elected wing, Municipal Commissioners will handle executive functions, according to a senior government official.
The new municipal corporations are spread across the state:
- Saurashtra: Morbi, Surendranagar, Porbandar
- Central Gujarat: Anand, Nadiad
- Kutch: Gandhidham
- North Gujarat: Mehsana
- South Gujarat: Vapi, Navsari
Key Municipal Commissioner Appointments
- G H Solanki (2014 IAS batch)
- Appointed as Municipal Commissioner of Surendranagar.
- Previously District Development Officer in Bhavnagar.
- Holds a Master’s in Agricultural Economics.
- Dev Choudhary (2016 IAS batch)
- Appointed as Municipal Commissioner of Vapi.
- Previously Deputy Municipal Commissioner in Ahmedabad.
- A science graduate with a Master’s in Public Management.
- Yogesh Choudhary (2016 IAS batch)
- Commissioner for Navsari.
- Holds a Bachelor’s in Technology and a Master’s in Business Management.
- Ravindra Khatale (2016 IAS batch)
- Appointed as Municipal Commissioner of Mehsana.
- Previously Regional Commissioner of Municipalities.
- Holds a Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering.
- Swapnil Khare (2017 IAS batch)
- Commissioner of Morbi.
- Transferred from Rajkot Municipal Corporation.
- Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from IIT Delhi.
- Milind Bapna (2017 IAS batch)
- Commissioner of Anand.
- Previously District Development Officer in Anand.
- Holds a commerce degree and a Master’s in Business Law.
- Mirant Parikh (2017 IAS batch)
- Commissioner of Nadiad.
- Transferred from Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.
- Holds a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering.
GAS Officer Appointments
- H J Prajapati
- Municipal Commissioner of Porbandar.
- Previously Resident Additional Collector (RAC) in Patan.
- M P Pandya
- Commissioner of Gandhidham.
- Previously RAC in Kutch.
This administrative overhaul ensures efficient governance and smooth functioning of the newly created municipal corporations until elected bodies are constituted.
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