01-05-2025
Who is IP Gautam, the retired IAS officer appointed to oversee the Gandhi Ashram development project
The Gujarat government has replaced retired IAS officer K Kailashnathan with IP Gautam, another retired IAS officer, in the governing and executive councils for the Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development project.
Having vast experience in urban development and planning, Gautam is known as a tough taskmaster who enjoys the confidence of the current administrative dispensation under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A 1986-batch IAS officer of Gujarat cadre, Gautam is already Chairman of Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Limited (SRFDCL), a position he is poised to hold until 2027. Before that, he was a member of the Lokpal of India in Delhi for over four years.
Gautam has performed duties as the Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner between 2006 and 2011. Later, he was also appointed as Principal Secretary of the Urban Development department. He was also the managing director of the Gujarat Metro Rail Corporation from 2013 to 2019 in Gujarat.
He possesses experience of more than 40 years in the fields of financial management, public policy and administration, power sector management, urban governance, and more. His expertise lies in project management, techno-legal expertise, and managing large infrastructure projects.
A senior official associated with the Gandhi Ashram redevelopment project said, 'Gautam has worked extensively on urban issues. He was already a municipal commissioner of Ahmedabad for over five years and is now chairman of SRFDCL. So, he knows the issues of the city very well.'
'This project, though it lies in the city, has its own challenges. But Gautam is a tough taskmaster and is known for getting things done. Also, the Gandhi Ashram redevelopment project's major planning is already done and what remains is its execution in a timely manner. But Gautam has vast experience and can get things done in that timely manner,' the official added.
An observer of the Gujarat bureaucracy said, 'Kailashnathan is loyal to the current dispensation, so is Gautam. Since Kailashnathan is already Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry, Kailashnathan must have been inclined to be relieved from the duties of the project in Ahmedabad. And so, the authorities have replaced him with Gautam, another loyal official.'
