New Delhi, May 29 (IANS). Retired IAS officer and first chairman of Competition Commission of India (CCI) Dhanendra Kumar died in a fire incident in a house in Delhi’s Hauz Khas area on Thursday night. According to initial information, the fire started after an explosion in the AC. His son has also been injured in the accident, who is undergoing treatment in the hospital.
According to Delhi Police, a fire broke out in the house of Dhanendra Kumar located in the posh Hauz Khas area of South Delhi at around 11:18 pm on Thursday night. A total of five people, including family members and domestic staff, were present in the house at that time.
As soon as information about the incident was received, police and fire department teams reached the spot. Relief and rescue operations were immediately started to rescue the people trapped in the house. Meanwhile, fire brigade personnel tried to control the fire.
Officials said 80-year-old Dhanendra Kumar and his son were taken out of the house and taken to a nearby hospital. Dhanendra Kumar died during treatment. It is being told that his condition had deteriorated due to inhaling too much smoke. His son’s condition is now said to be out of danger.
Police and forensic team reached the spot and investigated. Initial investigation has revealed that the fire may have started after an explosion in the indoor unit of the AC installed in the house. At present the police have not found any indication of any conspiracy or foul play.
Dhanendra Kumar was counted among the well-known administrative officers of the country. He was an IAS officer of 1968 batch and worked on many important posts in the Central Government and Haryana Government.
He held senior positions in several ministries, including the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and Ministry of Culture. While in the Defense Ministry, he worked on matters related to administration and national security. In the Ministry of Road Transport, he contributed to the development of highways and infrastructure.
While being Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, he supervised the work related to cultural institutions and heritage conservation of the country. He was also the Chairman and Managing Director of Rural Electrification Corporation, where he worked on projects to strengthen the electricity system in rural areas.
Dhanendra Kumar also represented India at the international level. From November 2005 to January 2009, he was the Executive Director of the World Bank representing India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. During this period, he participated in many matters related to economic development and financial cooperation in South Asia.
In February 2009, he was made the first chairman of the Competition Commission of India. He remained in this post till June 2011. Under his leadership, CCI took many important steps to increase fair competition in the market and curb the monopolistic tendencies of big companies.
In view of his expertise, the Ministry of Corporate Affairs had formed a committee under his chairmanship to prepare the National Competition Policy. This committee was given the responsibility of giving suggestions to strengthen the competition law and regulatory system of the country.
Apart from this, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation had appointed him as the Chairman of the committee to work on simplifying the approval process and expediting the work of real estate projects.
He also performed many important administrative responsibilities in Haryana. He was Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and also Chairman and Managing Director of Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation. During his tenure, the development of industrial infrastructure and industrial parks in the state was promoted.
He also received the National Citizens Award of the Haryana Government for his contribution in industrial development. In addition, he was also awarded an honorary doctorate for his contributions to public administration and good governance.
In his early administrative career he served as Deputy Commissioner in districts like Karnal and Jind. Apart from this, he also held many important posts like Labor Commissioner, Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Director of Industries.
He also served as Resident Director at the Indian Investment Center in London and held responsibilities in the ministries of agriculture, textiles and communications.
Even after retirement, Dhanendra Kumar remained active in public policy and corporate affairs. He was the founder chairman of Competition Advisory Services India LLP. Additionally, he was also serving as Principal Advisor and Chief Mentor at the School of Competition Law, Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs.
–IANS
amt/as
