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Chandigarh: Anindita Mitra’s tenure as MC chief ends with no word on extension
Anindita Mitra, a 2007-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the Punjab cadre, had joined as MC commissioner on August 23, 2021, for a three-year term, becoming the first regular IAS officer from Punjab to serve on the post.
The three-year tenure of municipal corporation commissioner Anindita Mitra ended on Thursday with no word on her extension till late night.
As the UT administration also did not issue her relieving orders to allow her to return to her parent Punjab cadre, Mitra proceeded on 25-day leave.
Though the officer was expecting an extension, the UT administration did not issue any orders in this regard. Meanwhile, deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh is likely to handle additional charge of the post.
Anindita Mitra, a 2007-batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer of the Punjab cadre, had joined as MC commissioner on August 23, 2021, for a three-year term, becoming the first regular IAS officer from Punjab to serve on the post.
She was also the CEO of Chandigarh Smart City Limited, set up to implement smart city projects.
Former UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit had written two letters to the Punjab government to either extend the deputation tenure of Mitra or send a fresh panel for the post. However, the Punjab government did not sent the no-objection certificate (NOC) for her extension.
During her tenure, Mitra spearheaded several initiatives to improve the city’s cleanliness and civic standards, with a special focus on solid waste management, including bio-remediation of legacy waste at the Dadumajra landfill, 100% segregation and processing of daily waste and a new integrated waste management plant.
It is felt that due to her efforts, Chandigarh was recognised as the 11th cleanest city among those with populations exceeding 1 lakh in the 2023 Swachh Survekshan rankings, declared on January 11 this year.
Chandigarh had also bagged the award for the best “Safaimitra Surakshit Shehar” in the country, reflecting its attention to safety standards for sanitation workers.
Even in the MC House, despite turnover of political power in MC, Mitra is said to have continued to remain vocal and upfront in the interest of the city and civic body, even refusing to toe the MC House’s line.
Before arriving in Chandigarh, Mitra had held various important positions in Punjab, including sub-divisional magistrate in Ropar, additional deputy commissioner in Patiala, and deputy commissioner in Nawanshahr and Hoshiarpur.
Meanwhile, another top post in the UT, that of the finance secretary has also been vacant since June 18, after the tenure of Vijay Namdeorao Zade ended and he was relieved.
In the last week of June, Punjab had sent a panel of three Punjab cadre IAS officers for the post: Amit Dhaka (2006 batch), Mohammed Tayyab (2007 batch) and Amit Kumar (2008 batch). However, MHA rejected this panel and requested a fresh one. Following this, the UT administration had sought a fresh panel from the Punjab government.
