Chennai: Senior IPS officer Seema Aggarwal, a 1990-batch officer who introduced administrative reforms in police recruitment, public service delivery and fire services, will retire on June 30 after about 35 years in service. She has been given additional charge as chairperson of the Fire Commission, a post with a two-year tenure.During her career, Seema Aggarwal served in key positions, including director of the Tamil Nadu Uniformed Services Recruitment Board (TNUSRB), director of the State Crime Records Bureau (SCRB), additional director general of police (headquarters), and director of Fire and Rescue Services.As TNUSRB director, she introduced an online system that enabled recruitment candidates to view their cut-off marks, improving transparency in the selection process. While heading the Fire and Rescue Services Department, she implemented an online system for issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) and streamlined fire response procedures, reducing average response time from 20-30 minutes to 12-15 minutes.As director of the SCRB, she played a key role in implementing the Crime and Criminal Tracking Network and Systems (CCTNS) portal across the state. During her tenure as ADGP (headquarters), she supervised the procurement of police vehicles worth about ₹100 crore, including air-conditioned SUVs for officers in the rank of inspector and above.Outside her official responsibilities, Seema Aggarwal spent about two years teaching English and mathematics to students of Classes VI, VII and VIII at a Chennai Corporation school in Thousand Lights. She also introduced training in silambam, badminton, volleyball and basketball, and encouraged students to participate in science competitions and extracurricular activities, where many won prizes.Teachers at the school said she regularly provided students with notebooks, stationery, uniforms, shoes and school bags. They added that she introduced daily prayer sessions, weekly flag hoisting and spoken-language exercises that improved the confidence of students, many of whom struggled with English and Tamil.Following her retirement, Seema Aggarwal plans to continue teaching at a Chennai Corporation high school in Vanniya Teynampet.An electronics and communication engineering graduate, Seema Aggarwal is a native of Jaipur, Rajasthan. Her husband, DGP AK Viswanathan, a 1990-batch IPS officer and former Chennai police commissioner, retired from service in 2024.
