Stadium dog-walk ‘fame’ IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar named MCD commissioner

New Delhi (PTI): The Union Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday named 1994-batch AGMUT cadre IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar as the commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, an official order said.

Khirwar’s return to the Capital also brings back the memory he is best known for in Delhi’s public discourse — the Thyagraj Stadium dog-walk controversy of 2022, after which he was moved out to Ladakh.

Khirwar was accused then of having the stadium complex cleared and shut early for athletes so he could walk his dog, triggering a backlash and questions over misuse of public facilities.

The MHA order appointing him as MCD commissioner was communicated to the office of the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi.

He replaces Ashwani Kumar, a 1992-batch IAS officer, who has been transferred from Delhi to Jammu and Kashmir.

Khirwar takes charge at a time when the civic body is preparing to present its budget before the Municipal Corporation House later this month and is dealing with key administrative and financial pressures.

The MCD commissioner oversees day-to-day civic administration, implements the corporation’s policies and coordinates with departments across the body.