The new unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), comprising the three civic bodies–North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and East Delhi Municipal Corporation, of the national capital, came into effect today.

The newly-appointed Commissioner and Special Officer also assumed the post with immediate effect on Sunday.

Gyanesh Bharti (IAS) and Ashwini Kumar (IAS) took charge as the Commissioner and the Special Officer respectively of the unified MCD today.

Newly appointed Commissioner Gyanesh Bharti welcomed Special Officer Ashwini Kumar and introduced him to the officers of the Corporation.

He gave a brief description of the functioning of the Municipal Corporation to the Special Officer. Bharti also apprised them about the various schemes of the municipal corporations as well as the challenges.

On this occasion, high officials of various departments of the corporation were also present and they congratulated the special officer and the commissioner.

Gyanesh Bharti is a 1998-batch AGMUT cadre officer. Before this, he was working as Commissioner of the Southern and Eastern Municipal Corporation.

Kumar is a 1992-batch AGMUT cadre officer. He earlier served as the chief secretary in Puducherry and principal secretary in Public Works Department (Delhi).

On May 19, the Union Government issued a notification for the merger of the three civic bodies of Delhi as the term of the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) ended on May 18, while the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) and East DMC completed their tenures on May 19 and 22, respectively.

On May 20, the Central Government appointed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Gyanesh Bharti as Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), in a notification, mentioned that Bharti, a 1998-batch Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram, and Union Territories (AGMUT) cadre officer, will be the Commissioner of MCD with effect from May 22.

“…It is decided to appoint Gyanesh Bharti, IAS (AGMUT:1998), as the Commissioner, Municipal Corporation of Delhi w.e.f.22.05.2022,” read the order.

The order came two days after an MHA notification announcing that the Delhi Municipal Corporation (Amendment) Act, 2022 to unify all the three municipal corporations of Delhi — North Delhi Municipal Corporation, South Delhi Municipal Corporation, and East Delhi Municipal Corporation — into one entity will come into force on May 22.

Bharti, who is currently heading the South MCD as Commissioner, has a sterling track record as a bureaucrat. The Centre also appointed senior IAS officer Ashwani Kumar the Special Officer of the unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

As per an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ashwani Kumar will work as Special Officer with effect from May 22, till further orders, to supervise the working of the MCD.