Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra has been transferred to the position of Commissioner, Rural Development. Nehra, an Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer from the 1996 batch, had served as the city’s commissioner for two years. The transfer order was issued on May 18 in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, with Ahmedabad reporting upwards of 9,000 cases.
Nehra’s removal comes after the Centre reportedly censured Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani for failing to control the rapid spread of the virus.
Nehra had recently gone off the radar for a few weeks as he had gone into home quarantine after being exposed to COVID-19 patients. Mukesh Kumar, who had been filling in for him, has been appointed to Nehra’s post.
Sources in Ahmedabad said that Kumar’s reportedly effective moves to battle the pandemic during Nehra’s absence, such as health surveillance of vendors, helped him gain favour with the administration.
Earlier, Nehra told the media that the State would see close to 8 lakh cases in May if the situation did not come under control. This set off alarm bells and was seen to reflect poorly on the State.
Nehra is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, and previously worked with Infosys.
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