Surat: Rajkumar Beniwal, a 2004-batch IAS officer, assumed charge as the new municipal commissioner of Surat following transfer orders issued on Saturday.Beniwal, who previously served as managing director of Gujarat Narmada Valley Fertilizers and Chemicals Ltd (GNFC) in Bharuch, took over at a time when the commissioner’s post at Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) had remained without a full-time officer for weeks.Soon after taking charge, Beniwal outlined his priorities for Surat, stressing the need to sustain the city’s development in line with the national vision of ‘Viksit Bharat @2047.’ He said cleanliness and sanitation would remain among the SMC’s top priorities and called for greater public participation in improving civic conditions.Beniwal also directed SMC officials and staff to focus more closely on basic civic services and residents’ day-to-day concerns. Emphasising the importance of prompt grievance redressal, he said even minor issues raised by citizens should be addressed quickly and that municipal services needed to be strengthened further.Infrastructure development will also be a key focus under his tenure. Beniwal said the SMC should work towards completing ongoing projects on schedule while taking up new initiatives to maintain Surat’s growth momentum. He also expressed concern over traffic congestion and said the civic administration would explore infrastructure-based measures to improve traffic movement and ensure smoother mobility across the city.The municipal commissioner’s post had been vacant since the transfer of 2009-batch IAS officer M Nagarajan amid controversy over the demolition of Nasir Nagar slums. High Court had questioned the continuation of the commissioner after the demolition was carried out in an illegal manner on May 30, leading to Nagarajan’s transfer on Aug 11, within seven months of his appointment. Since then, Surat district collector Tejas Parmar was holding additional charge of the post.
