BMC Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal felicitated for his work during COVID-19 pandemic

Mumbai Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal, on Friday, July 23, 2021, was honored with the 'Excellence in Crisis Management' award by the prestigious organization 'Speak India'. Employees and officers from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) have been serving the city relentlessly and efficiently during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, under the leadership of Municipal Commissioner Chahal.

Municipal Commissioner expressed his gratitude while receiving the award and mentioned that the glory belonged to all the workers, employees and officers of the corporation in the true sense.

Every year, Speak India honors officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) who make outstanding contributions to the service of India throughout the year. This year, the association felicitated 10 IAS for their contribution and outstanding work and the award selection committee included seven renowned dignitaries from various fields. 

Meanwhile, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari also felicitated Municipal Commissioner Chahal with the '‘Mumbai Ratna Award’ at the Raj Bhavan. The ceremony was held on Monday, July 19, 2021, where his efforts put in tackling COVID-19 crisis was lauded. He took to Twitter to share the news and mentioned, "Received prestigious MUMBAI RATNA AWARD  from Hon’ble Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari,Governor of Maharashtra at RAJ BHAVAN,Mumbai yesterday evening for being architect of internationally acclaimed Mumbai Covid fight Mode.I dedicate this honour to Team BMC."

Received prestigious MUMBAI RATNA AWARD from Hon’ble Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari,Governor of Maharashtra at RAJ BHAVAN,Mumbai yesterday evening for being architect of internationally acclaimed Mumbai Covid fight Mode.I dedicate this honour to Team BMC. pic.twitter.com/DqcVDPh2F4

— I S Chahal (@IqbalSinghChah2) July 20, 2021

His efforts have been appreciated before by several officials and the bench of Justices Amjad Sayed and Girish Kulkarni at the Bombay High Court. 

Mumbai has one of the worst affected cities during the first wave of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic where the number of cases were high due to the density of the city. The slums of Mumbai had large number of cases, however, with efficient management, the number of patients reduced over time. Similarly, the second wave of COVID-19 affected the city with a spike in cases more than that of the first wave. But the officials from the BMC imposed strict guidelines and managed the crisis successfully. 

Experts across the country have warned the possibility of the third COVID-19 wave which is likely to affect the children and keeping the same in mind, BMC officials have been setting up paediatric wards in Mumbai. On the other hand, several vaccination centres were set up in Mumbai to administer vaccines to a large number of people in the city. To ensure ease, drive-in vaccination centres were set up at malls in Mumbai.