Even as the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths kept spiking in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, the city’s municipal corporation’s commissioner Vijay Nehra was officially shunted out on Sunday, 17 May. Ahmedabad is one of India’s top-10 worst-hit cities in terms of COVID-19 cases.
He was replaced by Mukesh Kumar, who was re-appointed for the second time since he left office in July 2018.
Nehra has been transferred to the post of commissioner of Rural Development, Gandhinagar. A few days ago, on 5 May, Kumar was brought in-charge of the AMC when Nehra was asked to self-quarantine after coming in contact with a COVID-19 positive colleague.
Four days later Nehra tweeted that he has tested negative but the government insisted on him completing the 14-day quarantine period. Some reports indicated that his transfer is due to the top leadership’s disappointment at how Nehra handled the COVID-19 crisis in the city, which has recorded over 500 deaths.
Earlier, one of Nehra’s tweets reportedly did not go down well with the top bosses, especially in a year when municipal elections are due in Gujarat.
In a press statement, Nehra had admitted that COVID-19 cases will cross 8 lakh in the city if lockdown measures are not followed.
Nehra Was Part of Core Team When Modi Was Gujarat CM
The 2001-batch IAS officer was known to be a close aide of Narendra Modi and was a part of his core team when latter was the chief minister of Gujarat. He was promoted from the position of Ahmedabad District Collector to joint secretary (law and order) in the Home Department with additional charge of joint secretary at Modi’s office.
Later, his position was re-designated as additional secretary to the government in the chief minister’s office.
Nehra had gained a considerable amount of popularity as the AMC chief during his tenure, especially because of proactive engagement through social media. According to The Times of India, to control the COVID-19 cases in the city, he had also increased testing in cluster zones.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)