Rohtak district has been without a deputy commissioner (DC) for six days, a vacancy that comes at a crucial time as the administration prepares for Independence Day celebrations.
The chair of the Rohtak DC has been vacant since August 6, when the Rohtak DC Sachin Gupta was transferred as DC of Ambala. Gupta joined as the Ambala DC the very next day on August 7.
According to the August 6 transfer orders, the Haryana government initially sought to fill the vacancy by appointing 2013-batch IAS officer Pradeep Dahiya as Rohtak DC after moving him out of the Gurugram municipal corporation (MC).
But in a swift turn on August 7, the government reversed the posting, sending Dahiya back to Gurugram as MC commissioner, and district municipal commissioner, posts he had been holding since May 7, 2025. Even as on Friday, the government issued postings and transfer orders for 17 IAS officers but the appointment of Rohtak DC was not cleared.
The delay has raised eyebrows in administrative and political circles, particularly because the DC is the district’s key coordinating authority and Independence Day preparations are already in full swing.
Reacting on the vacancy, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda slammed the Haryana government, questioning how a district could be left without its top administrative officer for nearly a week. “It is totally a non-performing government. How can a district be left without a DC for around a week, especially when preparations for Independence Day are underway?” Hooda asked.
{{/usCountry}}Reacting on the vacancy, former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda slammed the Haryana government, questioning how a district could be left without its top administrative officer for nearly a week. “It is totally a non-performing government. How can a district be left without a DC for around a week, especially when preparations for Independence Day are underway?” Hooda asked.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, with no DC in place, additional DC Narendra Kumar has taken charge of monitoring the Independence Day preparations. Kumar chaired a review meeting at the mini secretariat on Wednesday, directing officials of various departments to complete arrangements within the stipulated time. He said that the district-level Independence Day function will be held at the Rajiv Gandhi Sports Complex, as in previous years.