Centre names new NDMC chairman

Bhupinder Singh Bhalla's appointment is the latest in a series of key administrative changes and appointments to be effected in Delhi over the past one week.

Bhupinder Singh Bhalla, a 1990 batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer and the current additional chief secretary (home) of Delhi, was on Friday appointed the new chairperson of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). He succeeds Dharmendra, a 1989-batch IAS officer, who has been relieved of his duty with immediate effect, said a notification issued by the Union ministry of home affairs.

New NDMC chairman Bhupinder Singh Bhalla.

Bhalla’s appointment is the latest in a series of key administrative changes and appointments to be effected in Delhi over the past one week.

It is to be noted that the orders transferring Dharmendra as the chief secretary of Arunachal Pradesh were issued on April 19 but he had not taken over his new posting so far. The appointment notification of the new chairperson also relieved the incumbent official of his duty with immediate effect. “It is further requested that Dharmendra IAS may be relieved from May 27, 2022. Further, BS Bhalla may be directed to take over the charge of the post of NDMC chairperson immediately,” the home ministry communication to the secretary to Delhi lieutenant-governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said.

Bhalla is a commerce graduate and also has an MBA degree and a post graduate diploma in management from IIM-Bangalore and University of Georgia, US. Previously, he has been posted in Delhi’s revenue department and the finance departments of Goa, Daman and Diu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Chandigarh.

As the new chief of NDMC, the immediate challenges for Bhalla will include the completion of long pending projects such as smart streets scheme, beautification of arterial roads around Central Vista, shifting of NDMC power supply to green energy, the e-scooter project and expansion of smart poles project.

NDMC council member Kuljeet Singh Chahal said Bhalla was the nodal officer for Covid-19 operations in Delhi. “At the time of the spread of coronavirus in Delhi, he performed well and contributed to containing the spread of the pandemic in the city. Once he takes over as the chairperson of NDMC, we will work together as a team for the betterment of the people residing in the NDMC area,” Chahal said.