Ravikumar NG made chief executive officer of the Greater Noida authority

Ritu Maheshwari assumed the additional charge of the Greater Noida authority on October 1, 2022, following the transfer of the then CEO, Narendra Bhooshan, to Lucknow in the Public Works Department

The Uttar Pradesh government appointed Ravikumar NG as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of the Greater Noida authority, officials said on Saturday, adding that Ritu Maheshwari, the CEO of the Noida authority, was previously handling the additional charge of the Greater Noida authority but has now been relieved of the additional responsibility.

Ravikumar NG (HT Photo)

Ravikumar NG, a 2004 batch IAS officer, has been serving as the Gorakhpur Commissioner since 2021. Before his appointment in Gorakhpur, he held the position of Secretary in the UP Tourism, Culture, and Religious Affairs department, and before that, he was the Director of the UP Tourism department. Ravikumar is expected to join the Greater Noida authority as CEO soon after completing his duties in the Gorakhpur division.

“I may join either on Monday or Tuesday as I am completing formalities related to this,” said Ravikumar NG, who intends to meet all stakeholders in Greater Noida to determine the future course of action in the city. “Our responsibility will be to diligently fulfil the duties assigned by the state government. We will address all issues related to investment proposals by government instructions,” Ravikumar NG added.

Ritu Maheshwari assumed the additional charge of the Greater Noida authority on October 1, 2022, following the transfer of the then CEO, Narendra Bhooshan, to Lucknow in the Public Works Department.

The appointment of Ravikumar NG as CEO comes after a series of protests by farmers who were demanding a 64% increase in land compensation for their lands acquired for the development of Greater Noida.

Farmers from 124 villages have been protesting against the Greater Noida authority and staging a dharna, asserting that they will continue their agitation if their demands are not met. They allege that their concerns have been ignored by top officials. “If there are any issues, whether with farmers or others, they will be resolved through discussions,” stated Ravikumar NG.

“The Greater Noida authority must have a full-time CEO because the city faces numerous issues, whether concerning farmers or homebuyers. However, due to the lack of a full-time CEO for the past year, many issues have remained unresolved, and the CEO who also had the responsibility of Noida couldn’t dedicate sufficient time to address the prevailing issues in the city,” said Anu Khan, president of the Noida Extension flat owners and members association.