Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jan 22: Senior IAS officer I S Chahal, who is set to retire on January 31, has been appointed as the chairman of the Mumbai Police Housing Township Project with the rank of Minister of State (MoS), the Maharashtra government announced on Thursday.
Chahal, a 1989-batch IAS officer and currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary (Home), will have a five-year tenure in his new role. With this appointment, he becomes the second retired bureaucrat in the current government to be accorded MoS rank, after former IAS officer Praveen Pardeshi.
A government notification stated that Chahal will be provided a fully furnished office at Mantralaya or another suitable location, along with government bungalow or residential accommodation in Mumbai befitting his MoS status, and a staff car for official travel within the city and for project-related work outside Mumbai.
Praveen Pardeshi currently serves as the CEO of the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA) and was appointed the Chief Minister’s Chief Economic Adviser with MoS rank last year.
Chahal had twice missed out on the coveted chief secretary’s post. He was considered a frontrunner last year, but Rajesh Kumar Meena was granted an extension. Subsequently, Rajesh Aggarwal was appointed to the top post. Several other senior officers, including Bhushan Gagrani, Anil Diggikar, Deepak Kapoor and O P Gupta, also missed the opportunity, as they are due to retire before Aggarwal’s term ends in November this year. Meeta Lochan, a 1990-batch IAS officer currently on central deputation, is scheduled to retire in August.
The Mumbai Police Housing Township Project is a key government initiative aimed at providing quality residential accommodation to Mumbai police personnel and their families, with the objective of improving living conditions and enhancing the welfare of the police force.
Explaining the rationale behind the appointment, the home department said the project involves large-scale planning, land acquisition, coordination with multiple government agencies, infrastructure development, financial management and time-bound execution, necessitating high-level administrative expertise.
“I S Chahal possesses extensive experience in administration, project management and coordination with central and state agencies, and has an impeccable record of public service spanning 36 years,” the notification stated, adding that his appointment was essential to ensure strategic leadership and timely implementation of the project.