Ghaziabad, Jul 16 (IANS): IAS officer Ajay Shankar Pandey on Monday took charge as the new District Magistrate of Ghaziabad.

Listing his priorities, he said that a prejudice-free, independent and transparent administration, along with strong law and order, will be his priorities in running the district.

Since Ghaziabad is an urban majority district, balanced integrated development in rural and urban areas is needed, Pandey said, adding that his thrust will be to keep regular communication with media, public representatives and NGOs here.

Pandey, who was Muzaffarnagar District Magistrate, was relieved of his charge on Monday and then took charge here.

"Ghaziabad is not new to me, during my posting as Municipal Commissioner from 2007-2009, I had deeply interacted with the local people. So this experience will pay help now in administering the district," said Pandey, who is a 1987 batch PCS officer elevated to the IAS cadre in 2005.