7 days ago
Delhi Fire Chief Atul Garg transferred – three months before his retirement
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg's sudden transfer has raised eyebrows in the department — he was due to retire in three months, on October 31.
Garg held the post for six years since December 2019. He will now serve as Director, Fire Safety Management Academy.
The order was issued by Delhi government's Home Department on July 14, which stated, 'Lt. Governor, Delhi, is pleased to order that Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services, is transferred and posted as Director (Fire Safety Management Academy), Delhi Fire Services, with immediate effect…'
As per the order, Garg will report to the Principal Director (Delhi Fire Services) — a new post created in June by the Delhi government — but will no longer be part of the DFS.
IAS officer A Nedunchezhiyan of the 2012 batch (AGMUT cadre) — recently transferred from Puducherry to Delhi — has been appointed as the Principal Director.
There has been no official order regarding Garg's successor, according to sources. Garg did not respond when contacted for comment.
Delhi Home Minister Ashish Sood did not respond to messages or phone calls when contacted for a comment on the reason behind Garg's transfer.
Sources said the Principal Director's post was created to appoint an IAS cadre-level officer as the head of the fire department. Until now, the posts of Director and Chief Fire Officers had been held by officers from the technical cadre.
Currently, there are five Chief Fire Officers and five Deputy Chief Fire Officers who report to the Director. These officers will now report to Nedunchezhiyan, they said.
The post of Director was created after the implementation of the new Delhi Fire Service Rules in 2010. Prior to this, the DFS was headed by an officer of the Chief Fire Officer rank.
SK Dheri was the longest serving Chief Fire Officer — he held the post for 17 years in the 1990s.
Before Garg, G C Mishra, A K Sharma, and R C Sharma retired from the post of DFS Director. They were from the technical cadre, an official said. Garg had joined the unit in 2002 and was also awarded the Meritorious Services medal in 2009.
Sources said that while Garg's tenure remained largely uneventful, he came into the limelight earlier this year during the alleged cash recovery incident at the residence of a Delhi High Court judge after a fire.
Currently, DFS has a staff strength of 3,312 against the sanctioned strength of 3,623.
