The Punjab government on Saturday appointed IAS officer Ojasvi Alankar as the new municipal commissioner of Ludhiana. Alankar, currently serving as additional chief administrator of the Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), will assume the charge on Monday, while Saturday marked the last working day of outgoing commissioner Neeru Katyal Gupta.Ojasvi Alankar will assume the charge on Monday. (HT Photo)Neeru Katyal Gupta has been transferred and posted as special secretary, general administration and coordination. A 2016-batch IAS officer, she had assumed charge as the civic body commissioner on January 27 this year and served in the post for less than five months.Alankar, the 2020-batch IAS officer, succeeds Neeru at a time when the civic body is pursuing several key infrastructure and public works projects across the city. Among the immediate priorities before the new commissioner will be accelerating road renovation works, execution of the World Class Roads project and modernisation of the sewerage-cleaning system.Civic officials are also working to expedite pending projects before the assembly election code of conduct is expected to come into force later this year.The new commissioner will also have to address growing concerns over road safety and restoration of stretches dug up under the river water supply project. Several roads excavated for the laying of pipelines are yet to be blacktopped, while some locations have already witnessed cave-ins following recent rainfall.With the monsoon setting in, timely restoration of damaged road sections and execution of ongoing civic works are expected to remain among the key challenges before the municipal administration in the coming months.