Two days after joining office, Amritsar Municipal Corporation chief transferred again

Amritsar, July 10

In a surprise development, two days after joining the Municipal Corporation office, Commissioner Sandeep Rishi has been again transferred back as Assistant Excise Commissioner to Patiala. It is his fifth transfer in the last two-and-a-half months.

In fresh orders by the Punjab Government, Kumar Saurabh Raj has been appointed as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation (MC), Amritsar.

Meanwhile, Joint Commissioner Hardeep Singh was also transferred. He has been appointed as Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Kapurthala, and Bholath.

Rishi was promoted as IAS last year and his first appointment as Commissioner was in the holy city on November 21, 2021.

After the state Assembly elections results and formation of the AAP government he was transferred on April 24 as Chief Officer, Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA). There was no Commissioner for many weeks at the Amritsar MC. Then on May 23, the Punjab Government appointed Karnail Singh as Commissioner of the Amritsar MC. But Karnail Singh did not take charge as the Municipal Commissioner here.

After this, on June 24, the Punjab Government gave the additional charge of Municipal Commissioner to Harpreet Singh Sudan, Deputy Commissioner, Amritsar. Sudan started working as Deputy Commissioner, Chairman, Improvement Trust, and MC Commissioner. He took a bold decision in an inquiry for the digging case and suspended five officials of the municipal town planning wing.

Subsequently, on July 7, Sandeep Rishi was re-appointed Commissioner, Amritsar MC. He joined the office on Friday. Now, only two days later, the Punjab Government again transferred Rishi to the vacant post of Additional Commissioner, Excise Department.

Political experts in the city are citing a power clash between two Delhi-based groups of the AAP in the recent transfer of the MC Commissioner.

Fifth transfer in two and a half months

• Sandeep Rishi has been again transferred back as Assistant Excise Commissioner to Patiala
• It is his fifth transfer in the last two and a half months
• Rishi was promoted as IAS last year and his first appointment as MC Commissioner was in the holy city on November 21, 2021
• In fresh orders by the Punjab Government, Kumar Saurabh Raj has been appointed as Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Amritsar