BMC'S CHAHAL – BEACON OF LIGHT IN A CRISIS

Rare is it for a Municipal Chief to become the toast of a country fighting a national crisis.

- Sasi Nair K.P.

The position ranks relatively mid-level in the National power hierarchy and is a distant outpost of governance framework from the central authority. So much so Iqbal Singh Chahal’s success in tackling the Covid surge in Mumbai, one of the world’s most densely populated cities, offers a textbook case of leadership that must be made compulsory reading for lawmakers and people in positions of authority.

Chahal’s clear-headed leadership, quick and timely decisions, and motivating an army of dedicated workers to follow through on policies paved the way for his standout performance and helped regain finesse for the authorities. He owes his success to the freehand given to him by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who believed in the saying, the proof of the pudding is in eating it.

Freed from having to constantly look over the shoulder at his political masters, Chahal made the best use of processes and institutions to deliver results for the community – Mumbai, home to more than 20 million people, he served. Little surprise, the Supreme Court, snowed under complaints of administrative failures at central and state levels, noted the Mumbai model should be emulated elsewhere.