‘Public grievances will be top priority’: Gautam Budh Nagar’s new DM

Medha Roopam comes from a family of bureaucrats. Her father is currently the chief election commissioner of India. Her husband is the DM of Saharanpur

A day after formally taking charge as district magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, 2014-batch IAS officer Medha Roopam on Thursday said that her top priority would be to strengthen the public grievance redressal system and ensure the effective delivery of welfare schemes across the district.

2014-batch IAS officer Medha Roopam.

Speaking to Hindustan Times, Roopam said her administration would work with a focus on transparency, responsiveness, and citizen convenience.

“My first priority will be public grievances, and the aim will be that we are able to redress them by taking them to actual solution in a time-bound manner,” she said.

She added that her second priority would be overseeing the Jewar airport project and its associated work, followed by a focus on improved coordination among departments. “For land acquisition-related matters, I will be holding meetings and looking into all of it,” she said.

Roopam, who officially assumed office on Wednesday at the Surajpur collectorate in Greater Noida, succeeds Manish Kumar Verma. With this appointment, she becomes the first woman to serve as DM of Gautam Budh Nagar, one of Uttar Pradesh’s most high-profile districts.

A familiar face in the region, Roopam served as additional chief executive officer of the Greater Noida Authority from February 2023 to June 2024, where she handled key infrastructure and planning projects.

An economics graduate from St Stephen’s College, Delhi University, she ranked 10th in the 2014 Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams. A former national-level rifle shooter, she won three gold medals at the Kerala State Shooting Championship before joining the civil services.

Her administrative journey spans several key districts in Uttar Pradesh, including Bareilly, Meerut, Unnao, Lucknow and Barabanki.

She began her career as an assistant magistrate in Bareilly, followed by stints as joint magistrate in Meerut and Unnao. A former competitive shooter, she continued to engage with local sports and community events during her tenure in Meerut. She later served as chief development officer in Barabanki, and then as the district magistrate of Hapur and Kasganj.

In Hapur, she oversaw targeted healthcare initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and immunisation drives. In Kasganj, she was lauded for wading into flood-affected Gangagarh on a tractor to personally assess and supervise relief efforts.

Roopam comes from a family of bureaucrats. Her father, Gyanesh Kumar, a retired Kerala-cadre IAS officer, is currently the chief election commissioner of India. Her husband, Manish Bansal, is the DM of Saharanpur.

As Gautam Budh Nagar undergoes rapid urban transformation, Roopam’s appointment signals a continued administrative focus on infrastructure, coordination, and citizen-centric governance.