Keshav Chandra appointed as new NDMC chairman

Chandra is currently serving as the chief secretary for the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Keshav Chandra, a 1995 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer has been appointed as the next chairman of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), according to an order from the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA).

Keshav Chandra (HT PHOTO)

Chandra is currently serving as the chief secretary for the Union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He had earlier served at key posts in the Delhi Jal Board, and environment secretary, among others

He succeeds Naresh Kumar, the former Delhi chief secretary. The key post had fallen vacant after Kumar’s term ended in August this year. Ashwani Kumar, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, was then appointed as link officer to handle the responsibilities of NDMC.

“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause a of sub-section 4....of the New Delhi Municipal Council Act 1994 (44 of 1994), the central government hereby appoints Keshav Chandra AGMUT 1995 to be the chairperson of the NDMC with effect from the assumption of charge and until further orders,” reads an order dated October 30 by Ashutosh Agnihotri, additional secretary, MHA. It is yet to be known when Chandra will officially take over as the new chairman.

Meanwhile, another key post of that of the vice-chairperson still remains vacant.

The council is composed of official, non-official and elected members, with the MHA nominating these members to five-year terms. The elected members include New Delhi Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj, New Delhi MLA Arvind Kejriwal, and Delhi Cantonment MLA Virendra Singh Kadian. Currently, four out of five official members have been appointed — MHA Additional Secretary (UT) Ashutosh Agnihotri, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) Additional Secretary (D) Surendra Kumar Bagde, MoHUA Joint Secretary (L&E) Ravi Kumar Arora, and Government of NCT of Delhi Secretary (Finance) Niharika Rai.

The positions of four non-official members, including the vice-chairperson, remain unfilled. HT on October 2 reported how vacancies and a lack of permanent appointments to top posts of NDMC were affecting policies and works in Lutyens Delhi.

Former Delhi chief secretary Kumar was provided additional charge to look after NDMC on June 19 after the transfer of former chairman Amit Yadav. Kumar’s tenure ended on August 18, 2024. No council meeting has been held since then.

According to an NDMC official, who wished not to be named said, said several key policies and projects are pending, including amendment in recruitment rules, hiring private parking operators for parking sites in New Delhi, JPN library project, a veterinary hospital, redevelopment of Shivaji Stadium, among others.