Rakesh Mehta is Delhi chief secy

Ambika Pandit / TNN / Dec 1, 2007, 05:37 IST

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A former MCD commissioner and the lone beaurocrat in Delhi government handling about six key portfolios, Mehta is a 1975 batch IAS officer.

NEW DELHI: Finally, chief minister Sheila Dikshit had her way. Despite much resistance, her only nominee for the chief secretary’s post, Rakesh Mehta, made it to the office on Friday.
A former MCD commissioner and the lone beaurocrat in Delhi government handling about six key portfolios, Mehta is a 1975 batch IAS officer, who has superseded many colleagues because of his proximity to the CM.Mehta took over from R Narayanaswami who retired on Friday after an 18-month stint.
His appointment has triggered speculation over the possibility of a bureaucratic reshuffle as officers senior to Mehta would now have to report to him. In fact, the MCD may end up with a new municipal commissioner as there is speculation that the current commissioner, A K Nigam, who is senior to Mehta and was also seen as the closest contender for the post of chief secretary, may now be transferred elsewhere. Similarly, a change of guard in DDA is also in the offing. DDA vice-chairman Dinesh Rai, who has recently been empanelled as a secretary and is Mehta’s senior, may also move out soon.
A media-savvy bureaucrat, Mehta — who is known for dazzling with his ready list of plans and projects — lived upto his reputation on day one. He unveiled a 10-point agenda.

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Majority: 46

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Claiming that his new assignment would be challenging, particularly in view of the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the assembly elections in Delhi in 2008, he said there would be periodical reviews of the preparation in terms of the "hard" infrastructure — roads, bridges and flyovers will be a priority. The "soft" infrastructure for promotion of the city as a tourist destination and a heritage city during the Games will be brought into equal focus, he added.

A former chief managing director of Delhi Transport Corporation, Mehta has made public transport his "top priority". He made it clear the implementation of the HCBS Corridor will not be allowed to be hijacked by vested interests. He plans regular monitoring of the project.
Mehta emphasised the need to improve urban governance. He stressed on focussing on issues like the new building bylaws which can tackle corruption and create greater transparency. For the record, the new draft building bylaws which are yet to come into effect were Mehta’s pet project when he was MCD commissioner.
Known for his affinity for information technology, a tech-savvy Mehta wants to use it for making government services available to Delhiites at their doorstep. Drawing on his experience in MCD and as secretary, power, Mehta seeks to look at ways of mitigating effects of climate change by promoting greening of Delhi, energy efficiency and conservation, waste management and carbon credits for mitigating greenhouse gases.
To cut out the red-tape, Mehta’s focus is going to be on "necessary incremental improvements" in departments. "Rather than fix targets from above, it would be better for departments to determine the incremental improvements they would like to see being done for the citizens and decide their own mission objectives."
A 1975 batch (AGMU) IAS officer, Mehta, an Msc from London School of Economics, did his MA from Jawaharlal Nehru University and BA (Hons) from St Stephen’s College.
ambika.pandit@timesgroup.com

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