Bhavya Verma is new Ahmedabad collector

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat govt on Wednesday transferred 72 mid-level and junior IAS officers, effecting major changes across district administrations and municipal corporations ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

The sweeping transfer orders issued by the general administration department (GAD) included the replacement of collectors in 17 districts and commissioners in 11 municipal corporations, signalling a significant administrative overhaul across the state.

Among the prominent postings, Valsad collector Bhavya Verma was appointed as the new collector of Ahmedabad district, replacing Sujeet Kumar, who has been transferred as special commissioner of state tax. The move also relieves P Bharathi of the additional charge of the post.

Tejas Parmar was appointed the new collector of Surat district, while Anilkumar Ranavasiya was posted as collector of Kutch. Officials described the reshuffle as one of the most extensive exercises in the IAS cadre in recent years and said it is likely aimed at streamlining governance before the next state elections.

In another significant appointment, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) deputy commissioner Mirant Parikh was named chief executive officer of Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority (AUDA).

The reshuffle also saw Jamnagar Municipal Commissioner D N Modi being appointed as development commissioner in Gandhinagar. Anand Patel, who was serving as collector of Kutch, was transferred as commissioner of schools in Gandhinagar. He was additionally given charge as commissioner of PM-POSHAN yojana (mid-day meal) and director of the Gujarat Council of Education Research and Training (GCERT).

Several senior officers handling infrastructure and energy-related departments were also reassigned. Ajay Prakash, Director of the Gujarat Energy Development Agency (GEDA), was appointed managing director of Gujarat Energy Transmission Corporation Ltd. Surat collector Sourabh Pardhi was transferred as director of civil supplies.

Bharuch collector Gaurang Makwana was appointed director of GEDA with additional responsibilities as managing director of Gujarat Power Corporation Ltd and Uttar Gujarat Vij Company Ltd.