The Punjab government has transferred 20 IAS officers and appointed new deputy commissioners in six districts, including Mohali, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ropar, Barnala and Tarn Taran, in an administrative reshuffle ordered by the department of personnel.
The changes alter the senior administrative leadership in districts that include major urban, industrial and institutional centres. Deputy commissioners coordinate district-level governance and work with civic and other government agencies on the implementation of public programmes, revenue administration and emergency response.
Komal Mittal, who was serving as deputy commissioner of Mohali, has been appointed deputy commissioner of Ropar. She replaces Aadiya Dachalwal, who has now been posted as deputy commissioner of Mohali.
The changes also affect Ludhiana and Patiala. Himanshu Aggarwal has been appointed deputy commissioner of Ludhiana, replacing Himanshu Jain. Jain has been transferred to Patiala, where he replaces Himanshu Aggarwal.
In Barnala, Abhijeet Kaplish has been appointed deputy commissioner and given additional charge as commissioner of the Barnala municipal corporation. The dual assignment places district administration and municipal corporation responsibilities under the same officer, according to the order reported by the Times of India.
Nirmal Ouseppachan, who previously held the charge of additional secretary, coordination and officer on special duty to the chief secretary, has been appointed deputy commissioner of Tarn Taran. He replaces Rahul.
The personnel department order also includes transfers and new postings for other IAS officers, although the supplied report identifies the six deputy commissioner appointments and the changes in Mohali, Ropar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Barnala and Tarn Taran.
The reshuffle comes as district administrations remain the principal state-level interface for residents, local bodies and line departments. In urban districts, the deputy commissioner’s office typically coordinates with municipal institutions and other agencies on matters that require inter-departmental action, while municipal commissioners remain responsible for the functioning of urban local bodies. The Barnala appointment specifically combines the deputy commissioner’s role with additional charge of the municipal corporation commissioner.
The immediate operational effect of the order will be the assumption of charge by the newly posted officers. The supplied report does not specify the dates on which each officer will formally take charge or provide reasons for the transfers. It also does not detail the postings assigned to the remaining officers included in the 20-officer reshuffle.
