District Anantnag
Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag
The office, its responsibilities, and the present incumbent, Dr Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, IAS.
Present Incumbent
Dr Bilal Mohi-ud-Din Bhat, IAS (2017 batch, AGMUT cadre), assumed charge as Deputy Commissioner, Anantnag, on 26 February 2026 under Government Order No. 230-JK(GAD) of 2026, succeeding Syeed Fakhrudin Hamid, IAS, who was transferred as Deputy Commissioner, Baramulla. He had earlier served as Deputy Commissioner of Kulgam, Srinagar and Budgam and as Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Karnah. Full profile.
What the Deputy Commissioner Does
In Jammu & Kashmir the Deputy Commissioner is the head of the district administration and holds three offices at once. As District Magistrate the officer is responsible for law and order, disaster management (as Chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority), arms and explosives licensing, and magisterial functions under the Code of Criminal Procedure. As Collector the officer heads the revenue administration: land records, mutations, land acquisition and compensation. As District Development Commissioner the officer coordinates all development departments, chairs the District Level Implementation Committees for schemes, and oversees the district capital expenditure plan.
The Deputy Commissioner is also the District Election Officer for parliamentary, assembly and panchayat elections, chairs the district committees on narcotics coordination (NCORD), road safety, health and education, and, in Anantnag, is the Yatra Officer for the Pahalgam axis of the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra and the Principal Census Officer for the district.
Anantnag District
Anantnag is the largest district of south Kashmir and the gateway to Pahalgam, Verinag and Kokernag. The district headquarters is at Anantnag town, about 55 km south of Srinagar on National Highway 44. The Amarnath Yatra's Pahalgam route, the Nunwan base camp and the Mattan and Martand heritage sites fall within the district.
Recent Work of the Office
- Promoted rail-freight for horticulture produce during harvest Source
- Cloudburst-hit Pahalgam/Awoora restoration; disaster-preparedness alerts; flood inspections (24 Jul) Source
- Pilgrim facilities at month-long Adhikmas Kumbh at Mattan; Uma Bhagwati Murti Pratishthan Diwas with Chief Secretary; Harbah Festival with LG (26 Jul) Source
- As Principal Census Officer launched Census-2027 self-enumeration; reviews with Census Director (16 Jun) Source
- Oversaw NEET-UG 2026: 9,112 candidates at 29 centres Source
- As District Magistrate ordered a civil-defence air-raid/blackout mock drill on 23 April 2026 Source
- Presented Anantnag JJM best practices at national Peyjal Samvad-2026 Source
- Launched 100-day Nasha Mukt J&K Abhiyan: clerics' meeting, NCORD, poppy destruction, Mega Padyatra (9 May), South Kashmir Cricket Cup (22 Apr), Unity Cup 2026 (14 Jun), U-17 girls' cricket (Aug) Source
- Approved 589 Mission YUVA cases; by Sept 2026 Rs 249 crore disbursed under Mission YUVA and 78.5% CD ratio in district banks Source
- Quelled fuel/LPG panic-buying rumours: met pump operators and gas agencies, warned against hoarding Source