With over 27 years of experience in municipal governance, Dr Amitabh Sharma is deeply passionate about sustainable urban development and governance innovation, as well as elevating civic institutions with cultural pride. His career includes serving as zone commissioner for the Bhilai Municipal Corporation and chief municipal officer (CMO), Urban Administration and Development (UAD), Pandaria, Chhattisgarh for several municipal councils across Chhattisgarh. His commitment to excellence has been recognised with the prestigious National Urban Water Award from the Government of India (2011) and multiple energy efficiency awards from CREDA (2015, 2016).
In his current role, Amitabh is responsible for planning and executing city development plans and administration works. His primary targets involve ensuring project delivery within strict timelines and optimising resource allocation. The main challenges he faces include navigating regulatory complexities and managing fund allocations from the department. However, the prospects remain high as they leverage innovation and new strategy and planning to enhance operational efficiency.
Amitabh foresees a significant shift towards green infrastructure and sustainable urban planning. According to him, the integration of digital twins and building information modelling will become standard, allowing for predictive maintenance. Additionally, he anticipates a stronger focus on multimodal connectivity and the transition towards renewable energy-backed logistics. His core strengths lie in strategic vision and sustainable project planning, execution and management. He describes his management style as transformational and collaborative. Amitabh believes in setting clear key performance indicators while providing his team the autonomy to innovate. During crises, he adopts a “calm-first” approach, prioritising rapid data gathering to assess the impact, followed by transparent communication with all stakeholders to execute a decisive recovery plan.
Amitabh has a bachelor’s degree in Science from Dr HS Gour University, Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, followed by a master’s degree in Chemistry. Alongside his current role, he has completed research work on domestic waste water treatment and recieved a doctorate degree in Chemistry from Dr C.V. Raman University, Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh.
In his spare time, he pursues avid hobbies like learning about innovative and sustainable technology in the field of urban administration and development. His family serves as his primary support system; he values the time spent with his family members as it keeps him grounded.