Praveen Pardeshi appointed head of civic heritage panel

Former municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi has been appointed as chairperson of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, the civic panel that oversees the conservation of heritage structures and heritage precincts in the city.

MUMBAI: Former municipal commissioner Praveen Pardeshi has been appointed as chairperson of the Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee, the civic panel that oversees the conservation of heritage structures and heritage precincts in the city.

Mumbai, India - September 20, 2019: MCGM Municipal Commissioner Shri Praveen Pardeshi speaks about need of Metro rail and Sustainable Development at Khetan School Auditorium, Malad (W) in Mumbai, India, on Friday, September 20, 2019. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times) (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

Pardeshi will continue as chief executive officer (CEO) of MITRA, a government think tank, and also as president of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).

The heritage conservation committee was earlier headed by Ramanath Jha, a bureaucrat appointed in 2018 and given a three-year extension. The state urban development department (UDD) has appointed former UDD deputy secretary Sudhakar Nagnure as a member of the committee, and Pardeshi can co-opt five more members.

Pardeshi, an IAS officer of the 1985 batch, was earlier state forest secretary, secretary to former chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, additional chief secretary to Devendra Fadnavis in his earlier stint as chief minister.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, Pardeshi apparently had differences with his superiors and was transferred as urban development secretary. He chose to go to the United Nations on deputation.

After losing a chance to become state chief secretary in 2021, Pardeshi took voluntary retirement and joined the National Capacity Building Commission as member, administration. When the Mahayuti government came to power, he was appointed CEO of MITRA.