Punjab Transfers 4 Officers: IAS Ojasvi Alankar Moved to Revenue Department, Ankur Mahindroo to Head Ludhiana Municipal Corporation
Punjab has reshuffled four IAS and PCS officers. IAS Ojasvi Alankar has been posted to the Revenue Department, while PCS officer Ankur Mahindroo will take charge as Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Commissioner.
Punjab Government Transfers One IAS and Three PCS Officers
Chandigarh: The Punjab government has ordered an administrative reshuffle involving one Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer and three Punjab Civil Service (PCS) officers, with a major change at the top of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. Under the reshuffle, 2020-batch IAS officer Ojasvi Alankar has been transferred from his post as Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana, and appointed Additional Secretary in the Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management.
PCS officer Ankur Mahindroo, who was serving as Additional Deputy Commissioner (General), Sangrur, has been assigned to take over as Commissioner of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. The order also changes the postings of PCS officers Vineet Kumar and Manjit Singh Cheema, while allowing Kumar to retain an additional charge related to urban water and wastewater management.
The transfer order was issued under the authority of the Governor of Punjab and signed by Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha. It cites administrative grounds for the changes and directs the officers concerned to join their new assignments immediately.
The reshuffle comes a day after a contentious General House meeting of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, where councillors reportedly clashed over voting procedures and several major civic proposals faced opposition. However, the government order cites administrative grounds and does not establish any direct connection between the meeting and the officers’ transfers.
IAS Ojasvi Alankar Posted to Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Department
Ojasvi Alankar, a 2020-batch IAS officer, has been transferred from his position as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana. He has been appointed Additional Secretary in Punjab’s Department of Revenue, Rehabilitation and Disaster Management.
The move shifts Alankar from municipal administration to a state-level departmental assignment. In his new role, he will be associated with a department handling areas such as revenue administration, rehabilitation and disaster management, although the transfer order does not specify his individual portfolio or the responsibilities that will be assigned to him.
Alankar’s departure marks a change in leadership at the Ludhiana civic body, which is responsible for municipal services and urban infrastructure in one of Punjab’s major cities. The government has not cited any reason beyond administrative grounds for moving him to the Revenue Department.
The order also does not indicate whether Alankar will receive any additional charge alongside his new position. Further details about his responsibilities would need to be confirmed through subsequent official notifications.
PCS Officer Ankur Mahindroo to Take Charge as Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner
Ankur Mahindroo, a 2016-batch PCS officer, has been assigned to replace Alankar as Commissioner of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation. Before the reshuffle, Mahindroo was serving as Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) in Sangrur.
Under the new arrangement, his services have been placed at the disposal of the Department of Local Government for his posting as Municipal Commissioner, Ludhiana. The assignment puts him at the helm of the city’s municipal administration, which oversees civic services, sanitation, waste management and urban infrastructure projects.
Mahindroo will take charge at a time when several significant civic issues are under discussion, including mechanical sweeping, solid waste management and sanitation services. The Municipal Corporation has recently considered proposals concerning these areas, making their implementation an important administrative responsibility for the incoming commissioner.
His immediate priorities will depend on the formal allocation of work and the status of ongoing municipal projects. The transfer order confirms his new posting but does not set out a separate list of priorities or performance targets for the assignment.
PCS Officer Vineet Kumar Posted as ADC in Jagraon
The reshuffle also includes Vineet Kumar, a 2016-batch PCS officer who was serving as Joint Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation, Ludhiana. He was also holding the additional responsibility of Chief Executive Officer of Ludhiana Urban Water and Waste Water Management Limited.
Kumar has now been posted as Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC), Jagraon, replacing PCS officer Manjit Singh Cheema. At the same time, the Punjab government has allowed him to retain his additional charge as Chief Executive Officer of Ludhiana Urban Water and Waste Water Management Limited.
This arrangement means Kumar will take up his new administrative assignment in Jagraon while continuing to oversee his existing responsibilities in the urban water and wastewater management company. The retention of the additional charge ensures continuity in that role despite his transfer from the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation.
The order does not provide further details about any redistribution of Kumar’s former duties as Joint Commissioner of the Ludhiana civic body. The government has, however, directed that suitable internal arrangements be made for posts that become vacant following the reshuffle.
Manjit Singh Cheema Asked to Report to Personnel Department
Manjit Singh Cheema, a 2014-batch PCS officer who was serving as Additional Deputy Commissioner, Jagraon, has been relieved of the position following Kumar’s appointment. He has been directed to report to the Department of Personnel for further orders.
The transfer order does not specify a new posting for Cheema or indicate what assignment he may receive next. His subsequent placement will depend on further directions from the state government.
The government has also instructed the concerned authorities to make appropriate internal arrangements for the work of posts affected by the reshuffle. Such arrangements are intended to ensure that administrative responsibilities continue to be handled while officers move to their new assignments.
Transfers Follow Contentious Ludhiana Municipal Corporation Meeting
The reshuffle comes against the backdrop of a stormy General House meeting of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation held a day earlier. The meeting reportedly saw heated exchanges between councillors, disagreements over voting procedures and allegations from opposition members that dissenting views were not being properly recorded.
The proceedings were also marked by a walkout involving more than 300 municipal employees, according to the source report. Despite the disruptions, the House cleared several agenda items related to sanitation, waste management and municipal services.
One of the major proposals approved during the meeting was a mechanical sweeping project estimated to cost ₹82 crore. The proposal became a point of contention, with opposition councillors questioning aspects of the decision-making process and the manner in which the proceedings were conducted.
The House also cleared a major solid waste management proposal, reflecting the city’s continuing focus on waste collection, disposal and sanitation infrastructure. These decisions are significant for the municipal administration because their implementation will require coordination between the civic body, relevant departments and service providers.
Another key decision concerned the extension of services for more than 1,200 outsourced sanitation workers. The civic body approved a one-year extension for the workers, who form part of the city’s sanitation arrangements.
Opposition members reportedly objected to the manner in which certain resolutions were passed and alleged that their dissent was not adequately reflected in the proceedings. These accounts provide the immediate political and administrative context surrounding the reshuffle, but the transfer order itself does not state that the changes were made because of the meeting.
New Leadership at Ludhiana MC as Civic Projects Move Forward
With Ankur Mahindroo set to take over as Commissioner of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation, the civic body will have a new administrative head as it works through major issues concerning sanitation, solid waste management, mechanical sweeping and urban infrastructure. The transition comes at a time when decisions taken by the General House will require follow-up and administrative oversight.
The incoming commissioner will be responsible for the municipal administration’s day-to-day functioning and for coordinating work across relevant civic departments. The status and implementation of recently approved projects will be among the issues requiring attention, although the specific priorities for Mahindroo have not been separately outlined in the transfer order.
The reshuffle also affects administrative responsibilities in Sangrur and Jagraon, with Vineet Kumar moving to the ADC post in Jagraon while retaining his additional charge in urban water and wastewater management. Manjit Singh Cheema, meanwhile, has been asked to report to the Department of Personnel pending further directions.
Editorial verification note: This article is based on the supplied report. Before publication, verify the official transfer order, the officers’ designations and batches, the stated costs of civic projects, the number of sanitation workers affected and the details of the General House meeting. The meeting’s controversies should be attributed to the source report unless independently confirmed.
