Who is IAS officer Arpit Sagar who Fined NHAI for..., served in high-ranking administrative roles, she’s from...

India is infamous for its pot filled and ill constructed roads, but one woman is garnering praise for taking up the responsibility to correct take action against such practices. IAS officer Arpit Sagar has recently taken strict action against poor road conditions in Gujarat. She became widely known after imposing a penalty on a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) official because of massive number of potholes on National Highway 47 (NH47), which connects Ahmedabad to Godhra, reported NBT.

This bold move has not only impressed the public who were in grave need for an improvement in roads but has set an example for the government officials who evade responsibility to only complete the formality of completing works.

Sagar hails from Uttar Pradesh and is currently working as the Collector of the Mahisagar district of Gujarat. Arpit Sagar took the action as part of the Mahisagar Road Safety Committee drive by imposing a fine of Rs 500 per day from 18 June to 7 July. She has become the first IAS officer in Gujarat to take such action against discrepancies in road management.

Sagar, who also fined the company which constructed the road, said that the fine will continue to increase until the potholes are filled. Her action has come at a time when the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, under Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, has been facing backlash in recent times for road management, especially over poor road conditions on the Jamnagar-Amritsar highway. After the situation came to light, the Project Director (PD) of Palanpur was suspended and the contractor for the project was also penalised.

Who is IAS officer Arpit Sagar?

Arpit was awarded the Best District Development Officer (DDO) award in December 2024. The Bareilly woman cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination in 2015. She earned a B.Tech degree from NIT Prayagraj but ditched a career in technology to serve the public. Before her current role, she was Deputy Commissioner in the Municipal Corporation, Vadodara. She also held the post of District Development Officer (DDO) in Valsad and was later replaced by Neha Kumari in Mahisagar.