Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government on Wednesday announced a fresh round of transfers in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), appointing new district collectors in Jamnagar, Surendranagar and Gandhinagar as part of an administrative reshuffle.
New Collector Appointments Finalised
According to an official notification issued on Wednesday, P.B. Pandya, currently District Development Officer in Amreli, has been appointed Collector of Jamnagar.
He will assume charge on March 31, succeeding K.B. Thakkar, who is set to retire the same day.
G.H. Solanki, serving as Municipal Commissioner of Nadiad, has been posted as Collector of Surendranagar.
He replaces K.S. Yagnik, who had been holding additional charge following the removal of the previous collector amid an ongoing corruption probe.
In another key posting, Ravindra Khatale, currently Municipal Commissioner of Mehsana, has been appointed Collector of Gandhinagar.
He takes over from J.N. Vaghela, who was also holding the post as an additional charge.
Surendranagar Case Under Spotlight
Notably, the Surendranagar collectorate has been under scrutiny in recent months after former collector Rajendra Patel was removed from the post following raids by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and a case registered by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
He was later arrested in January in connection with an alleged bribery-linked money laundering case involving land-use change permissions and subsequently placed under suspension by the state government.
A court earlier this month denied him bail, citing prima facie evidence in the case.
The allegations include the systematic collection of illegal gratification for clearing applications, with investigators pointing to a wider pattern of corruption within the collector’s office.
Part of Larger Administrative Changes
The latest transfers also follow earlier large-scale reshuffles in the state’s bureaucracy.
In June 2025, the state government transferred 13 IAS officers across departments and districts.
A subsequent reshuffle later in the year involved around 26 officers, along with other administrative changes linked to vacancies, promotions and disciplinary action.