By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 25 May: Consequent upon the bureaucratic reshuffle held on Saturday, Senior IAS officer Ashish Chauhan today assumed charge as the new District Magistrate of Dehradun. He has replaced the highly popular officer Savin Bansal, who has been transferred as Secretary, Planning, at the Secretariat owing to his time scale promotion as Secretary. Bansal however is expected to join the Centre on Central deputation. Following his transfer out, Bansal was today given an emotional farewell by the officials, the employees and the citizens alike. The reins of the district have now passed to another officer also known for his people‑centric, sensitive and innovation‑driven administrative style.
It may be recalled that during his tenure in Dehradun since September 2024, Bansal worked to bring the administration closer to the public. Several initiatives launched under his leadership directly benefitted weaker and marginalised sections of society. The ‘Nanda‑Sunanda’ initiative aimed at securing the education and future of girl children drew wide attention. Campaigns for the rehabilitation of children engaged in begging and rag‑picking were also undertaken, ensuring their integration into the mainstream, access to education and a safe environment. Public hearings, speedy grievance redressal, outreach of welfare schemes, sensitive administrative interventions and socially relevant initiatives earned him recognition as a ‘People’s Administrator’, and his transfer naturally evoked heartfelt responses from the public. Every Monday, people would line up for the public hearing to meet Bansal and share their problems with him or his colleagues and get a prompt resolution.
The new District Magistrate of Dehradun, Ashish Chauhan, is a senior IAS office of the 2012 batch and his working style is equally known for direct public engagement, technology‑based solutions and citizen‑oriented innovations. Today, Chauhan formally took charge at the Treasury after inspecting arrangements and interacting with officials and staff. He emphasised on the need for systematic and secure preservation of records and stressed digital verification of pensioners. District level administrative officers and the employees welcomed the new DM on the occasion.
Listing his priorities, Chauhan stated that timely and transparent delivery of welfare schemes to the public would be his foremost priority, along with strengthening Char Dham Yatra management, completing disaster management tasks within deadlines, expediting development projects and ensuring smooth access of state government schemes to citizens.
It may be recalled that Chauhan has earlier served as DM in challenging districts such as Pithoragarh, Uttarkashi and Pauri, where his tenure was marked by technology‑driven public initiatives, innovations in health services, road safety measures, public dialogue and tourism development. In Pauri, his leadership saw the launch of the ‘Safe Safar App’, a pioneering step in road safety. The digital platform monitored and registered vehicles hired for marriage ceremonies, effectively curbing overloading, drunken driving and accidents.
In health services, his initiative ‘Kavya App’ gained special recognition. Launched in 2023, the app ensured identification, registration and continuous monitoring of high‑risk pregnant women. Addressing the challenge of timely safe deliveries in hill areas, the initiative had proved to be highly effective in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates. Tourism and cultural development had also advanced under his leadership. The development of ‘Trishul Park’ near the Himalaya Darshan site in Pauri, with a 56‑foot high grand trishul, reflected his vision to promote religious and natural tourism.
Chauhan’s hallmark has been prioritising quality, transparency and public participation in every scheme. Known for blending technology with human sensitivity, his appointment has raised expectations in Dehradun for a citizen‑oriented and innovation‑based administrative approach.
