[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 1 (Wednesday, January 6, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2-E3]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       A TRIBUTE TO SHIVA K. PANT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. THOMAS M. DAVIS

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, January 6, 1999

  Mr. DAVIS of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to 
Mr. Shiva K. Pant for his more than two decades of service to Fairfax 
County, Virginia commuters. Mr. Pant has faithfully served in the 
Fairfax County Government for the past twenty-five years and will be 
retiring in January of 1999. Even though the citizens of Fairfax County 
will be losing Mr. Pant's services with the Department of 
Transportation, he will still be working to clear our congested roads 
as the Government Relations Officer for Virginia with the Washington 
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).
  The Washington Metropolitan Area has excessive traffic needs to say 
the least, and Shiva Pant has been preparing to tackle them since he 
began his education. While still in India, Shiva Pant earned a Bachelor 
of Technology in Civil Engineering from the Indian Institute of 
Technology in Kanpur, India in 1968. After relocating to the United 
States he immediately began work, and ultimately completed in 1969, a 
Master of Science in Civil Engineering (MSCE) with specialization in 
Transportation, at West Virginia University.
  After mastering the academic theories of transportation and traffic 
control, Shiva Pant began his career with the State of Virginia as a 
Transportation Planner for the Virginia Department of Highways, the 
precursor to VDOT, starting in 1970. During his tenure in Richmond Mr. 
Pant established himself as a leader in the field of transportation 
through his service as project manager for the first Congressionally 
mandated statewide transit needs study.
  In 1974, Shiva Pant relocated to Fairfax County to become 
Transportation Planning Branch Chief for the Fairfax County Office of 
Comprehensive Planning. After recognizing the enormous scope of Fairfax 
County's future transportation needs, Mr. Pant lead the successful 
drive to establish an autonomous office of transportation for Fairfax 
County. Three years after transferring to Fairfax County, Shiva Pant, 
in 1977, became the first Director of the Fairfax County, Office of 
Transportation. A post he has faithfully held to this day.
  As Director of the Office of Transportation, which now employs 60 
staff full-time, Mr. Pant is head of the agency responsible for 
conducting and coordinating all aspects of highway and transit 
planning, implementation, operations and financing for all projects. 
Over the preceding two decades Mr. Pant was personally responsible for 
a number of key projects including the 35-mile Fairfax County Parkway, 
the Route 28 Transportation Tax District, he

[[Page E3]]

also designed a number of bond initiatives and lead the start-up of the 
County's own bus system which now operates over 120 buses.
  Through out his career Shiva K. Pant has been an innovator and leader 
in the field of transportation for the State of Virginia and the County 
of Fairfax. After 28 years of service to the State and County, we will 
truly miss Mr. Pant's council and leadership. As much as we hate to 
lose his years of experience and personal expertise, I know he will be 
enormous value to both Virginia and WMATA in his new capacity as 
Government Relations Officer for Virginia.

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