eMag_Feb2020_SmartGovernance | Page 6

GOV ADMINISTRATOR IN FOCUS IN Ajay FOCUS Shankar - Ajay Shankar Pandey, Pandey IAS 2005 Batch, DM IAS Ghaziabad 2005 Batch, DM Ghaziabad Passionate catalyst Passion opens up something special inside of us, bringing out many of our best traits and talents; Ghaziabad DM proves this dictum. Providing a smooth citizenfriendly administration in a district like Ghaziabad has always been challenging for successive District Magistrates for different reasons. However, the tempo set by Ms Reetu Maheshwari during her 22-month stint is now being swiftly peddled by her successor Ajay Shankar Pandey who took the reins of the district in July last year. Mr Pandey’s focus, on transparency in governance and delivering hassle-free citizen – centric services to the people, besides striking a balance between urban and rural development, has made him a darling of the people of By Jay P Gupta all hues in the district. His innovative idea of putting a Black Box in which aggrieved citizens could drop their complaints against any official in the district has been highly hailed. The box was installed last December at the DM’s office and itn received over two dozen complaints of graft till date. He has taken up many initiatives in the last six months after assuming the charge of the office. When the issue of fee-hike by the private schools in the district surfaced, he directed the school management to include parents’ associations in the decision making exercise, failing which the district administration was free to take an ex-parte decision against the erring school managements. Addressing traffic congestion, climatic pollution and waste management has also been in the priority list of Mr Pandey. He has demonstrated his commitment by a very bizarre act when he imposed monetary fine on himself for wasting water in the collector office or on another occasion when tea was served to him and other officials in his office in a plastic cup. Prior to his new posting, Pandey served as the Muzaffarnagar DM. He also served as the officer on special duty with Rajasthan Governor Kalyan singh. 6 February 2020 | www.smartgovernance.in