Extend Anindita Mitra’s tenure or send fresh panel: Chandigarh to Punjab

Since May this year, UT administration has been writing to the Punjab govt to extend her tenure, which ends on August 23, due to her good services in Chandigarh

The UT administration has written another letter to the Punjab government to either extend the deputation tenure of Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) commissioner Anindita Mitra or send a fresh panel for the post, officials revealed on Thursday.

Anindita Mitra, a 2007-batch IAS officer of the Punjab cadre, had joined as municipal commissioner on August 23, 2021. (HT File)

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.

Earlier in the year, the Punjab government had sent the names of two more IAS officers for the post — Amit Kumar and Rajiv Prashar, both from the 2008 batch.

But Mitra’s name was proposed by the UT administration to the Union home ministry and approved by the Union cabinet’s appointments committee.

Her tenure is scheduled to end on August 23 this year, which will leave the civic body’s top post vacant.She is also the CEO of Chandigarh Smart City Limited, set up to implement smart city projects.

“Since May this year, the UT administration has been writing to the Punjab government to extend the tenure of Mitra, keeping in view her good services in Chandigarh. However, the Punjab government has not sent the no-objection certificate (NOC) for her extension, forcing UT to write another letter to Punjab. Now, in the fresh letter, the administration has sought that her tenure either be extended or a fresh panel be sent for the post,” said officials from UT department of personnel.

Governor ‘backed extension’ of her tenures

Officials familiar with the matter shared Punjab governor and UT administrator Banwarilal Purohit had personally also requested the Punjab government to extend Mitra’s tenure.

Considered plain-speaking and transparent in official functioning, Mitra has spearheaded several initiatives to improve the city’s cleanliness and civic standards, with 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 continue to remain vocal and upfront in the interest of the city and civic body, even refusing to toe the MC’s House line.

A senior officer from the UT administration said, “Mitra has done exemplary work. Chandigarh was adjudged the 11th cleanest city among those with a population exceeding 1 lakh in the 2023 Swachh Survekshan rankings. She should stay on for some more years to complete the ongoing projects in MC as well as under the Smart City Mission,” he said.

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.

Two top posts in UT admn already lying vacant

Two top posts in the UT administration are already lying vacant since June after Chandigarh administration relieved Vijay Namdeorao Zade, a Punjab-cadre IAS officer, from the post of finance secretary; and Nitin Kumar Yadav, a Haryana-cadre officer, from the post of home secretary.

Both officials were relieved from Chandigarh after they were assigned new responsibilities in the Union government.

The Punjab government had recently sent a panel of three IAS officers to the UT administration for the post of finance secretary. Punjab-cadre IAS officers Amit Dhaka (2006 batch), Amit Kumar (2008) and Mohammed Tayyab (2007) are in the race for the post.

Also, the three-year deputation period of deputy commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh will also end in October this year.