GURUPRASAD MOHAPATRA WOULD BE REMEMBERED FOR INTRODUCING MODEL ROADS IN AHMEDABAD
Gujarat cadre IAS officer and secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) Guruprasad Mohapatra passed away due to Covid-19 related complications in New Delhi on Saturday. He was 59.
An efficient officer, he has been instrumental in spearheading several projects. Mohapatra had played a key role in several projects including the Sabarmati Riverfront and had introduced “model roads” in Ahmedabad.
A 1986-batch IAS officer of Gujarat batch, Mohapatra was one of the IAS officers who moved to Delhi after Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister. “Saddened by the demise of Dr Guruprasad Mohapatra, DPIIT Secretary. I had worked with him extensively in Gujarat and at the Centre. He had a great understanding of administrative issues and was known for his innovative zeal. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti,” PM Modi tweeted.
A product of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), he had a masters in Political Science and in his very first major posting in Gujarat as the Surat Municipal Commissioner between 1999 and 2002 he turned the city as a model for urban governance and diamond and textile hub.
It was during his tenure that the Sabarmati Riverfront Development was completed and inaugurated while he also contributed majorly in the Kankaria lakefront development project. Mohapatra was the founder officer for the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (SVP) Hospital project which was completed and inaugurated during former commissioner Vijay Mehra’s tenure in 2019 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
