IAS who emptied stadium to walk dog appointed MCD commissioner

IAS who emptied stadium to walk dog appointed MCD commissioner

Sanjeev Khirwar, the 1994-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer who was at the center of a controversy over allegedly clearing a Delhi stadium to walk his dog, has been appointed as the new Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner.

The Union Home Ministry announced his appointment on Wednesday.

He replaces Ashwani Kumar, a 1992-batch IAS officer who has been transferred to Jammu and Kashmir.

Khirwar's appointment amid budget preparations and administrative challenges

Khirwar's appointment comes as the MCD prepares to present its budget before the Municipal Corporation House later this month.

The civic body is also grappling with several administrative and financial issues.

As MCD commissioner, Khirwar will be responsible for overseeing the corporation's daily operations, executing policies, and ensuring interdepartmental coordination.

Khirwar's controversial past and wife's retirement

Notably, Khirwar was the Principal Secretary (Revenue) of Delhi when he allegedly asked athletes to vacate a stadium early for his dog walk.

The incident sparked public outrage over government entitlement.

Athletes training at the stadium claimed they were asked to wind up earlier than their usual closing time of 7:00pm.

However, Thyagraj administrator Anil Chaudhary denied these allegations, stating that athletes weren't asked to leave early.

Khirwar's wife's retirement following stadium controversy

The controversy also led to the compulsory retirement of Khirwar's wife, Rinku Dugga, who is also a 1994-batch IAS officer, after an assessment of her service record, PTI reported.

She was retired under Fundamental Rules (FR) 56(j), Rule 48 of Central Civil Services (CCS) Pension Rules, 1972 after her service record was reviewed.

Following the row, the then Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP government directed all stadiums in the national capital to remain open for players till 10:00pm.

Khirwar denied the allegation

At the time, Khirwar said the allegation against him was "absolutely incorrect," although he admitted that he "sometimes" took his pet for a walk.

The Indian Express, which first reported the incident said athletes and coaches at the Thyagraj Stadium had been complaining for months that they were forced to finish training early.

"We used to train till 8-8.30 pm...But now, we are asked to leave...by 7:00pm...Our training and practice routine has been disrupted," a coach told the paper.