Dharamshala: In a proactive move, Dharamshala Municipal Corporation Commissioner Zaffar Iqbal conducted a unique review meeting of a road work, undertaken as part of the Smart City Project, on the streets of the city.
After an initial office meeting with officers from the IPH (Irrigation and Public Health), Electricity and other departments, Zaffar Iqbal led a 2-km on-foot inspection along the under-construction smart road corridor.
The inspection covered areas where essential infrastructure such as water pipelines and electricity cables have been recently laid.
Smart road reviewed on foot, not just on paper
This marked the first time that a Municipal Commissioner in Dharamshala, who also serves as the Chairman of the Dharamshala Smart City Mission, conducted a detailed project review directly on-site rather than behind closed doors.
Officials were briefed on spot and specific tasks were assigned to each department with clear deadlines.
Targets set, deadline fixed for May 15 completion
During the walk-through, Commissioner Zaffar Iqbal identified several remaining gaps in the execution of the smart road work. From alignment issues to pending finishing work, he issued immediate directives to address them.
All departments involved were assigned revised targets, with a follow-up review scheduled around May 15. The move signalled a shift in approach, placing a strong emphasis on real-time accountability and field-level supervision.
Officers from departments such as IPH, Electricity, PWD and Smart City project execution teams accompanied the Commissioner during the inspection.
2017-batch IAS officer from Poonch
Zaffar Iqbal, a 2017-batch IAS officer from the Himachal Pradesh cadre who originally belongs to Poonch in Jammu & Kashmir, is known for his hands-on style of administration.
In his role as Chairman of the Dharamshala Smart City Mission, he has taken a results-oriented approach, regularly pushing for field inspections, inter-departmental coordination and citizen-centric urban planning.
“With his latest on-ground review, Commissioner Zaffar Iqbal has signalled that smart governance begins with smart leadership — not just in boardrooms, but on the roads that citizens walk every day,” said a civic body official.
Sunil Chadha
