MCD special officer appointed Delhi’s principal secretary (home)

Ashwani Kumar, a 1992 batch IAS officer from AGMUT cadre, will also continue to hold the charge of special officer of MCD, the order, issued by the deputy secretary (services) Anju Mangla on October 7, said

The special officer of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) Ashwani Kumar has been appointed principal secretary (home) in the Delhi government, according to an order issued by lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Friday.

A view of the Civic Centre, Delhi. (HT Archive)

Kumar, a 1992 batch IAS officer from AGMUT cadre, will also continue to hold the charge of special officer of MCD, the order, issued by the deputy secretary (services) Anju Mangla on October 7, said.

“Lieutenant governor is pleased to post Ashwani Kumar, special officer, Municipal Corporation of Delhi as principal secretary (home) with immediate effect in pursuance of the approval by competent authority of the transaction of business of Government of National Capital Territory rule, 1993,” the order said.

Kumar was appointed as the special officer by the ministry of home affairs on May 20, 2022, and he was overseeing the functions of the deliberative elected wing of the MCD during the transition period till fresh elections are held to the unified MCD after the delimitation exercise

In his previous stint with the Delhi government, Kumar was the principal secretary of the Delhi government’s public works department (PWD) and the director of vigilance until he was transferred to Puducherry in November 2017 where he held the post of chief secretary till May 20, 2022.

His previous tenure in the national capital was marked by friction with the elected Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.

The controversies began with his appointment in August 2016 when Kumar was first appointed as the PWD secretary, a move over which chief minister Arvind Kejriwal criticised the Centre and the L-G , since, according to the AAP, it was done without seeking the CM’s aid and advice.

In June 2017, Kejriwal wrote to then chief secretary MM Kutty asking him to initiate proceedings of “dereliction of duty” against Kumar over improper and delayed de-silting of drains.

The officer hit back, saying “negativity and a squabbling” does not help address civic challenges. In October, 2017, the Delhi assembly’s committee of petitions summoned Kumar for allegedly misleading a house panel on the issue of desilting drains. He later secured a stay on the order from the Delhi high court.