Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 8: Former IAS officer of J&K cadre and Padam Shri Awardee, Mehmood-ur Rehman, passed away at Lucknow last evening after a brief illness.
He held numerous important positions within and outside the State and excelled every where by dint of hard work, administrative sharpness and perfect execution of policies and programmes.
A Law graduate and Master’s degree holder in Persian from Allahabad University, he started his career by joining the Uttar Pradesh Civil Services in 1965. A year later, he was selected to the Indian Administrative Service and was allotted J&K cadre. He rose to the position of Secretary to Govt of India and also remained Vice Chancellor of AMU. In recognition of his distinguished services he was awarded Padam Shri in 1991.
He was contributor in the establishment of the Jammu and Kashmir Agriculture University and the Horticulture Processing and Marketing Corporation (HPMC).
Mahmood-ur-Rehman served the AMU as its Vice-Chancellor from 1995 to 2000. He has been one of the most famous Vice-Chancellors in the history of AMU and gave some remarkable contributions to the university in his regime.
In J&K, he remained Assistant Commissioner in Anantnag District from July 1967 to June 1968, SDM in Sopore from June 1968 to July 1969, Deputy Secretary in Planning Department from July 1969 to March 1970, Additional DC Jammu from March 1970 to April 1971, DC Udhampur from April 1971 to April 1973, DC and Development Commissioner, Ladakh from April 1973 to October 1976, Commissioner and Secretary Agriculture, Secretary Industries, Secretary Health, Secretary Revenue, Commissioner, Planning and Development, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Chairman, J & K Cements Ltd, Chairman, Jammu & Kashmir Minerals, Chairman, Himalayan Wool Chambers, etc
As Incharge of Home in Jammu & Kashmir, he continued to organize Amarnath Yatra in the most turbulent days from 1990 to 1995. As member of Central Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), he delivered a number of orders as per the Act and proposed a number of amendments to the existing provisions.