New Delhi:
Senior IAS officer Sanjeev Khirwar has been appointed the new Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, marking a high-profile return to the national capital nearly three years after a controversy led to his transfer out of the city.
Khirwar, a 1994-batch officer of the AGMUT cadre (Arunachal Pradesh–Goa–Mizoram and Union Territories), was at the centre of a public outcry in 2022 when allegations surfaced that athletes were asked to vacate Thyagraj Stadium early so he could walk his pet dog. At the time, he was serving as Delhi’s Principal Secretary (Revenue).
The allegations, first reported by The Indian Express, claimed that regular evening training sessions for young sportspersons were curtailed, disrupting practice schedules. Coaches and athletes said the stadium, which earlier remained open under floodlights until late evening, was being shut by 7 pm.
Khirwar strongly denied the claims, calling them “absolutely incorrect.” While acknowledging that he occasionally walked his dog at the stadium premises, he maintained that it did not interfere with sporting activities. Nevertheless, the issue snowballed into a major administrative controversy.
In response, Delhi’s then Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal ordered that all government-run sports facilities in the city remain open for athletes until 10 pm. Soon after, the Union Home Ministry transferred Khirwar out of Delhi to Ladakh.
His latest posting brings him back to the capital at a crucial time. Khirwar replaces Ashwani Kumar, who has been shifted to Jammu and Kashmir. As MCD commissioner, he will oversee the civic body’s functioning just as it prepares to present its budget and grapple with persistent administrative, financial and service-delivery challenges.
Khirwar’s wife, Rinku Dugga, is also an IAS officer. His return to a key Delhi role underscores the government’s confidence in his administrative experience, even as memories of the earlier controversy linger in public discourse.
