Almost a year after V Umashankar was reinstated as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), the post has been handed over to Varinder Singh Kundu, a Haryana-cadre IAS officer of the batch of 1986, who will take charge on Monday.
The role is in addition to his present charge as additional chief secretary to the Haryana government’s printing and stationery department. This will be Kundu’s first stint as an administrator in Gurugram.
Speaking to the Hindustan Times just before his transfer order came through on Sunday, Kundu said, “It would be premature to comment on my specific plan of action, but I will definitely prioritise the work initiated by my predecessor, Mr Umashankar, who, I think, has done a great job so far as the CEO.”
Kundu has previously served as additional chief secretary of the tourism department in Haryana and has also been the additional chief secretary of the Haryana science and technology department.
On June 1, 2017, the Haryana Cabinet had approved the GMDA ordinance. The GMDA was notified by the Haryana government in August 2017 as the apex government body of the district, and on October 25, the GMDA Bill was passed in the assembly. The authority took charge of infrastructure related to water supply, road, sewerage and other services from the fund-starved Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP). Chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar had announced Anand Mohan Sharan as GMDA’s first CEO on August 15, 2017. Since then, V Umashankar has mostly served as GMDA’s CEO, barring a short stint by Vivek Joshi in 2018.
Flagship initiatives, such as comprehensive mobility plan for the city, and the Gurugaman bus service, were rolled out under Umashankar’s supervision. Upon his return to the post earlier this year, Umashankar stewarded important developments such as the launch of an Integrated Command and Control Centre (ICCC), supplying water to newer sectors of the city, and preparing a detailed project report for the extension of the Delhi’s Metro’s Yellow Line into Gurugram.
However, residents have criticised the GMDA’s functioning as majority of its projects are yet to be completed. “The main challenges for the new CEO will be ensuring completion of pending projects, such as ensuring water, power and other civic infrastructure in the developing sectors of Gurugram. Implementation of the transportation plan for the city, execution of the Metro plan by extending it to the Old city, overseeing completion of the orbital rail system and RRTS; improving pedestrian mobility are all yet to come to fruition,” a member of GMDA’s resident advisory council said requesting anonymity.
