He will replace Solapur collector Madhav Sangle who on Wednesday was shifted by the Election Commission for ``failing to check an instance which resulted in communal tension.''

Kapoor was on Thursday conveyed his transfer on promotion telephonically and was asked to take the charge on Friday morning.

Sangle had invited the wrath of Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde and a few devotes from Pandharpur after he ordered removal of saffron flags atop some muths in the temple town.

This was the first time that a deity has got embroiled in a controversy over implementation of the election code of conduct in Maharashtra.

Annoyed over Sangle's action, the EC had directed the Maharashtra Government to immediately transfer him.

An inquiry conducted by the EC found that Sangle had not ordered removal of the flags atop the Pandharpur temple but saffron flags atop a few muths in Pandharpur, an official communique had said.

Kapoor, an Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1991 batch took over his assignment in Pune in September 1997. Earlier, he had served as chief executive officer of Bhandara Zilla Parishad.

Radical steps to curb octroi evasion, especially by the bullion traders and ready-made clothe merchants remained the major task of Kapoor's 23 month's stay in Pune. The Pune Municipal Corporation's orctroi receipts went up appreciably after he started his anti-octroi evader flying squads and an all-women-squad to check the octroi-avoiding members of fair sex. He also had taken keen interest in revamping the civic health and sanitation department.

Non-controversial and soft spoken, Kapoor is credited with taking his staff into confidence before implementing any decisions. Although for a few months he remained under Bhatia shadow, Kapoor reportedly did not flinch and carried out his job in his own quiet way. Kapoor showed great alacrity in addressing citizens' complaints, for which he earned respect from all quarters. Speaking to reporters this evening, Kapoor stated that he was happy about his stay in Pune.