Speakers

• Dr. Sanjay Pandit Vice President, SOCLEEN NGO Vadodara
  

  Dr. Sanjay Pandit

  Vice President, SOCLEEN NGO Vadodara

  Born, brought up and educated in Baroda. Brilliant academic career. MD in 1980. Consultant Physician, practising in Vadodara for last 42 years. Consulting at Vitas Hospital, Race Course. Attached to Sterling Hospital, Bhailal Amin Hospital, Tricolour Hospital. Formerly, Physician and Medical Superintendent, Vijay Vallabh Hospital. Physician and Medical Director, Shree Maharani Shantadevi Hospital. Active member of many scientific, social and cultural organisations. Member and Past President, Rotary Club of Baroda Jawaharnagar. Member of Society for Clean Environment (SOCLEEN) for last 30 years, and currently, Vice President, SOCLEEN.

• Dr. Sanskriti Mujumdar Director, Institute Of Climate Change Research, MS University of Vadodara
  

  Dr. Sanskriti Mujumdar

  Director, Institute Of Climate Change Research, MS University of Vadodara

  She holds a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda, where she currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. She also serves as the Director of the Office of Alumni Affairs at MSU Baroda.

  She is the recipient of several prestigious awards and actively contributes to climate resilience and urban development initiatives. She is a member of the Technical Advisory Committee for the Climate Change Department, Government of Gujarat.

  Her involvement includes participation in a NASA-funded project focused on developing climate-resilient cities, specifically for Vadodara, and a European Union-funded project on the modernization of Vadodara city.

  She has received a research fellowship from the Indian Academy of Sciences, under which she conducted research at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore. Over the years, she has completed several research projects and currently leads an ongoing project funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), in collaboration with IIT Kharagpur.

  In addition, she is leading five research projects funded by the Climate Change Department, Government of Gujarat, and one research project funded by DST, Government of India.

• Kavitha B. V. Additional Director Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Vadodara
  

  Kavitha B. V.

  Additional Director Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Vadodara

  Kavitha B.V. is an accomplished environmental engineer and a senior official with the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), currently serving as Additional Director at the Regional Directorate in Vadodara. She oversees environmental governance and regulatory activities across Gujarat and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli.

  With over 15 years of professional experience, she holds a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a Master’s specialization in Environmental Engineering. Her expertise spans a broad spectrum of environmental management areas, including pollution monitoring, industrial compliance, policy implementation, and technical oversight of pollution control initiatives.

• Narendra Kabra President Shangrilla Housing Society, Vadodara TBC
  

  Narendra Kabra

  President Shangrilla Housing Society, Vadodara TBC

  Mr. N. K. Kabra is a prominent industrialist with a pan-India presence and a dedicated social worker with a special focus on environmental issues and the welfare of tribal children.

  He is a life member of Socleen and serves as the Vice President of the Friends of Tribals Society—an NGO that has been widely recognized and appreciated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi for its impactful work in supporting tribal education.

  Mr. Kabra is also the Charter President of the Lions Club of Vadodara Shangrila, Vice President of the Maheshwari Samaj, and an executive member of several other esteemed organizations. His leadership and commitment span across industry and community development initiatives.

• Prof. Chetan Vaidya Former Director School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)
  

  Prof. Chetan Vaidya

  Former Director School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi and National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA)

  Prof. Chetan Vaidya is an Architect-Planner with over 30 years of experience in the urban planning and development sector. He served as the Director of the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), New Delhi from 2012 to 2017 and was the Director of the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) from 2008 to 2012.

  In recognition of his expertise, the NITI Aayog (formerly the Planning Commission of India) appointed him as the Chairperson of the Working Group on City Governance and Smart Cities for the National Development Agenda @75 (2022). He was also appointed as a part-time Independent Director at the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) from June 2016 for a tenure of three years.

  Prof. Vaidya has contributed significantly to planning education in India. He was appointed as the Chairman of the Planning Education Board by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). Internationally, he was nominated as the Melbourne-Asia Visiting Fellow by the University of Melbourne for the year 2014–15.

  He is a Distinguished Alumnus of IIT Kharagpur, an honor awarded to him in 2015. Between 1995 and 2008, he served as the Deputy Project Leader for the Indo-USAID Financial Institutions Reform and Expansion (FIRE) Program, which aimed to develop commercially viable urban environmental infrastructure projects with a focus on the urban poor.

  Prof. Vaidya brings extensive academic, research, and consultancy experience in the field of urban planning and governance.

• Prof. Saswat Bandyopadhyay Professor of Urban Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad
  

  Prof. Saswat Bandyopadhyay

  Professor of Urban Planning, CEPT University, Ahmedabad

  Saswat Bandyopadhyay, is a civil engineer with advance qualifications in Urban Planning and Infrastructure Management. His ongoing doctoral research work focuses on Climate Change and Urban Vulnerability in India. He is presently a Professor and area chair of Infrastructure Planning program at the CEPT University. Saswat Bandyopadhyay has over 22 years of experience in the urban development sector in South Asia with a focus on city development planning and designing of environmental infrastructure. Since 2007, he has been spear heading urban capacity development activities in several Indian JNNURM cities in India, extending support in city development planning and infrastructure prioritization. As a team leader, he has been involved preparation and appraisals of several city and comprehensive development plans across various regions of India. He has also lead the roll out of National Urban Capacity Development initiatives such as RTP and RCBH under the JnNURM by Government of India. Saswat was also involved in several pan-asia pilot initiatives such as ADB Green Cities Toolkit in Asia, CDIA Localization of CIIPP Toolkits in India & Nepal, Piloting of World Bank Supported Cultural Heritage and Tourism Assets based City Development Strategies and Sustainable Tourism Assessment Toolkit for India Prof. Saswat has also worked extensively in the field of urban lakes and water resources management studies in South Asian context such as environmental management plans and strategies for East Kolkata wetlands, Bhoj wetlands among others. Saswat has also been a member of the working group set up by Planning Commission of India for 12th Five Year in 2012 as well as an expert committee member for National Development Council (NDC) Sub-Group on Urbanisation. He is presently member of the Expert Committee set up by Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for Green Delhi. Saswat has worked in India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Nepal and in Pacific Island Countries.

• Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad President, SOCLEEN NGO Vadodara
  

  Rajmata Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad

  President, SOCLEEN NGO Vadodara

  Rajmata of Baroda Her Highness Shubhanginiraje Gaekwad graduated with Honours in History, English Literature and Economics, from Lucknow University in 1964. She is a senator of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda since 2012.

  She has been engaged with social service organizations, specially connected with women welfare and their social and economic empowerment. She was the President of MahilaSahakari Bank (1986-1998) and Co-Chairperson of Family Planning & Social Welfare Committee, Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (1999-2001). She is Trustee of Sir Sayajirao Diamond Jubilee & Memorial Trust, President and Trustee of Maharani Shantadevi Hospital (winner of National Award for ‘Child-Friendly Hospital’), Maharani Chimnabai Stree Udyogalaya, President, Maharaja Fatesingh Museum Trust, Bal Bhavan Society Trust, Swar Vilas (an oldest organization in Gujarat for promotion of Hindustani Classical Music) among other appointments.

  Rajmata turned her attention to environmental problems in and around Baroda and actively interested in sustainable development of which environment protection and improvement is an integral necessity. She is the President and Chairperson of Greenery Promotion Committee of Society for Clean Environment (SOCLEEN), Member, Worldwide Fund for Nature-India.

  She has the privilege of working with teachers and students, which strongly advocates universal and free primary education for basic literacy for adults as well as children, with special emphasis to girl child. She advocates closer and meaningful ties between industry and education, especially in Technology and Research & Development.

  She has visited many overseas countries, including USA, Canada, UK, Other European Countries, Middle East Countries and Far East Countries.

• Santosh Tiwari Chief Accountant, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC)
  

  Santosh Tiwari

  Chief Accountant, Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC)

  A seasoned finance professional with 27 years of experience in municipal finance, Santosh Tiwari currently serves as the Chief Accountant at the Municipal Corporation of Vadodara. He is an expert in budgeting, ESG integration, municipal bonds, and climate financing.

  As a mentor and speaker, he plays an active role in shaping the future of municipal finance through initiatives by SEBI, NISM, and LBSNAA. His work reflects a strong commitment to sustainable development, financial innovation, and capacity building in urban governance.