The Maharashtra government on Saturday appointed Urvinder Pal Singh Madan as the chief of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). Madan, 54, succeeds Rahul Asthana, who retired on Friday and has now been appointed to the Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission.

Madan, who has been an IAS officer since 1983, is the former vice-chairman and managing director of the Maharashtra Airport Development Company Ltd, where in 2002 he led the team responsible for building a multi-modal international airport in Nagpur.

He previously headed the Maharashtra Transformation Support Unit, a think tank created by the state government in collaboration with the World Bank. working on improving the city’s infrastructure, transport, sanitation and economy.

He has also been in charge of the Mumbai Urban Transport Project during a previous stint with the MMRDA. To add to his credentials, he also headed the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA).

The government has also appointed Apurva Chandra as principal secretary of the industries department. Chandra previously worked for the Centre as joint secretary for petroleum and natural gas, and with the human resources development and school education department.