Short tenures of civic bodies’ chiefs derail Gurugram projects
Gurugram’s infrastructure push is being hampered by frequent changes in the heads of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) and the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), with officials now seeking a minimum guaranteed tenure of three years for both posts.
Recently, senior officials raised the matter with Urban Local Bodies Minister Vipul Goel, pointing out that short tenures have repeatedly derailed plans before their implementation. Records show that the MCG had eight Commissioners since June 2019, with average tenure working out to a little over 10 months.
PC Meena held charge for 12 months, from January 2023 to January 2024, followed by Dr Narhari Singh Bangar for 10 months till November 2024, and Ashok Kumar Garg for barely six months before being replaced by incumbent Pradeep Dahiya in May 2025. Several officers before them, including Vinay Pratap Singh and Mukesh Kumar Ahuja, served between a year and 19 months.
The issue is particularly acute at the GMDA, which was carved out as a dedicated authority in 2017 to overhaul Gurugram’s civic infrastructure after the 2016 flash floods. Officials point out that the GMDA’s core mandate—long-term policy formulation and integrated planning for roads, drainage, and water management—requires the institutional continuity that rapid CEO changes and additional-charge arrangements have undermined.
Officials said, “Infrastructure projects repeatedly lose momentum midway, as each new appointee restarts groundwork, stakeholder coordination, and inter-agency approvals from scratch.”
“This concern has been raised with us. If a civic official posting policy overhaul is required, we will consider it,” Goel said.
