Bhubaneswar, Jul 29: IAS officer Chanchal Rana formally took charge as the 17th Commissioner of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), succeeding Ratnakar Sahoo. The ceremonial handover marked the beginning of a new administrative chapter for Odisha’s capital city.

Rana, a 2014-batch IAS officer, previously served as the District Magistrate of Puri, where he was widely recognized for his leadership during the post-Rath Yatra administrative challenges. His elevation to the BMC Commissioner post comes as part of a major bureaucratic reshuffle by the Odisha Government, which saw the transfer of 49 IAS officers across the state.

On his first day in office, Rana held a video conference with the Principal Secretary of the Housing & Urban Development Department, discussing key priorities for urban governance. He also convened a high-level meeting with senior BMC officials to review ongoing projects and outline his vision for the city’s development.

Sources close to the administration suggest that Rana’s appointment is aimed at injecting dynamic leadership into Bhubaneswar’s civic body, especially as the city gears up for major infrastructure upgrades and smart city initiatives. His experience in district-level governance and crisis management is expected to bring a fresh perspective to urban planning and public service delivery.

With Rana at the helm, Bhubaneswar is expected to see renewed focus on sanitation, traffic management, housing, and digital infrastructure.

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