Haridwar: The Uttarakhand government has appointed IAS Sonika Singh as the Mela Adhikari (Mela Officer) for the Haridwar Kumbh Mela 2027, making her the first woman to head the administration of one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.
The appointment of IAS Sonika Singh is being seen as a progressive step toward gender equality in leadership roles within the state’s bureaucracy.
A 2010-batch IAS officer of the Uttarakhand cadre, Singh currently serves as Additional Secretary in the Civil Aviation Department. She has formally taken charge at the Mela Control Office in Haridwar and begun consultations with key stakeholders.
Her immediate priorities include crowd management, transport planning, sanitation infrastructure, and coordination among various government agencies, all critical to ensuring a smooth and safe pilgrimage experience for millions of devotees.
Singh brings with her a strong administrative background. She served as District Magistrate of Dehradun in 2022, where she also held charge as CEO of the Smart City Project. In 2021, she was Additional Secretary to the Chief Minister, overseeing portfolios including Tourism, Religious Affairs and Health.
An IIT postgraduate and former scientist at DRDO, Singh has also led the National Health Mission in Uttarakhand and served as CEO of UCADA (Uttarakhand Civil Aviation Development Authority). Her appointment to the Kumbh Mela administration marks a new era of inclusive governance in Uttarakhand’s civil services.
