Three IAS couples head 6 Punjab districts

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, March 19

For the first time, three IAS couples will head six districts in Punjab. In all, six women officers have been posted as Deputy Commissioner and two as SSP. This list of women officers gets longer if one considers those posted as ADC and SDM. 

During the previous SAD-BJP regime, only one IAS couple — Sumeet Jarangal and Isha Kalia of the 2009 batch — headed the “important” districts of Muktsar and Fazilka. The constituencies of the former CM and Deputy CM fall in these districts. The couple were not moved in the recent administrative reshuffle undertaken by the Capt Amarinder Singh government.

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Two more couples — Vipul Ujjwal and Sonali Giri, also of the 2009 batch, and Amit Kumar and Neelima (2008 batch) — have been made district heads. While Vipul has been posted as Hoshiarpur DC, his wife Sonali takes over charge from him in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar. Similarly, Neelima takes over charge of Pathankot from her husband Amit, who has been shifted to neighbouring Gurdaspur.  

Also, Gupreet Kaur Sapra (2006 batch), Kanwalpreet Kaur Brar (2007 batch) and Gurneet Tej (2007 batch) have been posted as Deputy Commissioners in Mohali, Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar, respectively. 

While Kumar Amit ( 2010 batch) is DC, Patiala, his wife Alka Meena has been shifted to Fatehgarh Sahib as SSP.  Woman officer Jagdale Nilambari Vijay has been posted as SSP, Ropar. Both Fatehgarh Sahib and Ropar now have women officers as DC and SSP. The new CM has promised 33 per cent quota for women in government jobs. 

Talking to The Tribune, Neelima, who was Special Secretary (Coordination) during the previous regime, said that besides discharging other duties, she would lay special emphasis on the education of the girl child.