IAS Praveen Pardeshi back in Maha, albeit temporarily

Mumbai: Former Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi was recently appointed to head a committee that will recommend safety measures for buildings against natural disasters such as earthquakes, terror attacks along coastal belts in Mumbai and Maharashtra.

Pardeshi is currently serving as member of the administration at the Capacity Building Commission for the Central government in New Delhi and will additionally handle this Maharashtra assignment.

According to a person familiar with the development, “This was a requisition made by the Urban Development Department (UDD) in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of Maharashtra. It is a temporary posting. The committee is expected to be formed within a couple of weeks and its first meeting will be held in Mumbai thereafter.”

An Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer with over 29 years of service under his belt, Pardeshi has held various senior leadership positions within the United Nations as the chief of transition recovery unit, United Nations Development Programme, Geneva and senior coordinator of United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. He is also credited with efficient handling of civic health service in Mumbai city as the BMC chief, during COVID-19 pandemic.