Pune: The state govt on Wednesday appointed Abhijeet Chaudhari, the municipal commissioner of Nagpur Municipal Corporation, as the new commissioner of Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA).A 2011-batch IAS officer, Chaudhari takes charge at a crucial time when PMRDA is executing major infrastructure projects aimed at easing congestion in the city’s fast-growing IT and manufacturing hubs. He replaces Yogesh Mhase, a 2009-batch IAS officer, who has been transferred as secretary, minority development department, Mantralaya, Mumbai. Mhase, who took charge of PMRDA in June 2024, steered it through an important phase, pushing infrastructure works, including Metro-related coordination, floating tenders for road widening and new roads, and advancing town planning schemes. He was also engaged in discussions with the state govt to firm up timelines for operationalising the Hinjewadi–Shivajinagar Metro corridor.
