Praveen Chaudhary Named CEO of Dholera and Mandal-Becharaji SIRs

What the order decided

The state reshuffled 17 IAS officers in one set of orders. The General Administration Department (GAD) issued the transfer orders on Friday, October 23, 2026. Within that set, Utsav Gautam, IAS (RR:GJ:2018), District Development Officer, Kutch-Bhuj is transferred and appointed as Collector, Anand.

For the regions, the order says Anand collector Praveen Chaudhary has been transferred to the post of Chief Executive Officer, Special Project (Dholera SIR & Mandal-Bechraji SIR), Gandhinagar, relieving Kuldeep Arya of additional charge of that post. Reports also place the posting in the Industries and Mines Department, where the outgoing Anand Collector, Praveen Chaudhary (IAS: 2014: GJ), has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the special project covering the Dholera Special Investment Region (SIR) and Mandal-Becharaji SIR.

The bodies involved

Dholera SIR is governed under a state framework. The Government of Gujarat has created a legislative framework for the formation of a Special Investment Region (SIR) under the Act 2009, for which a regional development authority, DSIR has been established. The Dholera Special Investment Region Development Authority is in charge of planning and development of DSIR and will encompass the function of administering government land within DSIR.

Implementation sits with a joint company. The SPV was formed on 28 January 2016 for the development of Dholera SIR, with the equity participation as under. The company is Dholera Industrial City Development Limited (DICDL), and it is the entity whose chief executive has been Kuldeep Arya.

Mandal-Becharaji has its own authority. Under the act, a regional development authority for MBSIR has been established. The Mandal Bechraji Special Investment Region Development Authority (MBSIRDA) has the responsibility of planning and development of MBSIR.

Where the two regions stand

Mandal-Becharaji is the more built-up of the two. Spanning 102 square kilometers, the region includes nine villages, and one report states that the Mandal Becharaji Special Investment Region (MBSIR) in Gujarat has successfully completed its phase-I, transforming it into a pivotal center for automobile manufacturing. That same report adds that the state government is expediting Phase II by enhancing the infrastructure, including streetlights, sewer lines, and clean drinking water, with a targeted completion within the next two years. A September 2025 state statement said MBSIR has boosted local employment and small businesses, reducing migration and improving living standards.

Dholera is still a large build-out. The official description calls it a greenfield industrial smart city planned and located approximately 100 km southwest of Ahmedabad. A 2025 review of the state's zones found that the rest are still under development, spread across North, Central, South Gujarat, as well as the Saurashtra-Kutch regions. Developers are also committing capital; one developer said it plan to invest ₹2,500 crore in Dholera by 2030 across residential, commercial and industrial developments.

What this step leads to, and what it does not change

The posting changes who leads the two special projects and who runs the Anand district. It does not, on the reported details, alter any area, plot rate or boundary.

• Praveen Chaudhary moves from district administration into the state's special-project structure for both regions.
• Kuldeep Arya's additional charge over the same special projects ends with this order.
• Anand district gets a new Collector in Utsav Gautam.

For investors and residents, the practical question is continuity. Both regions' planning, land and infrastructure work is run through their development authorities and the DICDL company, so the immediate change is in leadership rather than in any rule or land allotment.