Patiala institute confers honorary degree to BMC chief

BMC chief IS Chahal, a varsity alumnus, who is IAS batch of 1989, was honoured on Monday, for restructuring the Covid response mechanism in Mumbai and successfully managing the massive requirements of critical supplies in the megacity

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation chief Iqbal Singh Chahal has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Patiala, for his work in leading the fight against the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic for Mumbai.

BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal has been awarded the degree of Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) by the Thapar Institute of Engineering and Technology (TIET), Patiala, for his work in leading the fight against the second wave of the Covid-19.

Chahal, a varsity alumnus, who is IAS batch of 1989, was honoured on Monday, for restructuring the Covid response mechanism in Mumbai and successfully managing the massive requirements of critical supplies in the megacity.

Addressing the students, Chahal said handling the Covid waves were very challenging but he and his team kept calm, executed their strategies and planned in a streamlined manner.

“The death rate was 8% in the peak of Covid waves especially in slum areas but we managed to bring down it to 0.8%,” Chahal said.

He added that they launched a special campaign ‘Chase the virus’ following which they focused on testing and providing immediate medical assistance to Covid patients.

He said he was given a free hand by the chief minister which helped him in taking quick decisions. “My engineering background helped me to place a system driven by technology and data,” Chahal said.