Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram and additional chief executive officer (CEO) of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA), V. Umashankar was recently elevated to full-time CEO of the newly formed development agency. Umashankar is a 1993 batch Indian Administrative Service officer of the Haryana cadre and over the course of his career of about 24 years has garnered wide experience.
His elevation to CEO coincided with the GMDA taking over charge of water, roads, and sewerage facilities from the Haryana Urban Development Authority. Now, the responsibility of all the major civic infrastructure, such as water, master sector roads, and sewage, rests with the GMDA that is to act as an umbrella body for all government agencies in the Gurugram metropolitan area.
Umashankar is responsible for strategic planning for the Gurugram metropolitan area. The biggest task at hand for the GMDA is to introduce city bus services by March this year. He has reiterated that the authority is committed to start the bus services at the earliest possible.
Umashankar, who joined GMDA on October 31, 2016 as officer on special duty, was made additional CEO on August 17, 2017. Earlier, he held several key positions in the central government.
Prior to being appointed commissioner of the MCG, he served as director in the Ministry of Human Resource Development for over one year. After this, he was appointed as private secretary to the Minister for Human Resource Development for over two years, from June 2010 till October 2012.
From March 2013 till October 2015, Umashankar served as joint secretary in the Department of Telecommunications. He also worked as joint secretary in the National Security Council Secretariat for a year till October 2016.
In the initial years of his career, from July 2005 to July 2006, Umashankar was the managing director of Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited. He has also served as joint secretary in the General Administration Department. Between 2006 and 2008, he worked as deputy commissioner, Sirsa.
V. Umashankar has a B.Tech. degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Bombay as well as a postgraduate diploma in public policy from the Indian Institute of Management.