As Chennai grapples with over 30,000 active Covid-19 cases, the Tamil Nadu government on Sunday brought in a senior bureaucrat who handled relief operations in Cuddalore district after the 2004 tsunami as Commissioner of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) to take charge of Covid-19 controlling measures.
Gagandeep Singh Bedi, the 1993-batch IAS officer, will be the new Commissioner, replacing G Prakash, who came under criticism for “poor handling” of the Covid-19 efforts in Chennai last year. Bedi is one of the top officers in the bureaucracy and appointing him as the Commissioner of GCC, a relatively low-weight post when compared to his seniority is aimed at controlling the Covid-19 spread in the city.
Chennai has been adding at least 6,000 fresh cases to its tally every day, and sources in the government said, an efficient administrator was needed to spearhead the efforts. Bedi, who was Agriculture Secretary, will continue to retain his rank, Principal Secretary, in his new assignment.
Bedi shot to limelight in 2004 after he spearheaded the relief work post-Tsunami in Cuddalore district as Collector. He was made in charge of Covid-19 containment efforts in Cuddalore last year.
When cases increased in 2020, the government brought in J Radhakrishnan as a special officer for Chennai. He is now the Health Secretary.
(Published 09 May 2021, 14:42 IST)
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