New Delhi: Referring to the delay in the constitution of statutory bodies, lieutenant governor VK Saxena has urged chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to direct his ministers to dispose of such cases “expeditiously” to bring accountability in governance.
In a letter to Kejriwal, Saxena said such “omissions and commissions” by govt and ministers reflected poorly on the state of governance and needed to be rectified. The LG added that Delhi was probably the “only govt” in the country where files were “held and delayed inordinately and unjustifiably for months and years”.
No immediate reaction was available from AAP govt.
While clearing a file related to declaring district magistrates as Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA) under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act 2013 earlier this month, Saxena had expressed his displeasure over the delay of more than three years by the urban development department in formalising the proposal. In his letter to the chief minister, written last week, the LG referred to the same proposal and some more in the recent past and said it had now become a “habit” of govt.
“This is regretfully similar to even other files being pended (sic) and delayed unnecessarily, something that I have flagged to you on many occasions,” Saxena observed. “I deem it fit to write to you about the matter of appointments/constitution of bodies because these hit at the very basic statutory guarantees that govt seeks to provide to the citizens.”
The other “delayed” proposals included the constitution of a state-level monitoring committee under Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rule 2011, notified under Environment Protection Act 1986; constitution of the governing council of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital; and constitution of a search-cum-selection committee for appointment of the chairperson of IIIT-Delhi’s board of governors.
Saxena said that in all four cases, “unmindful neglect” and “inordinate delay” were noted. While the file related to the monitoring committee for plastic waste management was delayed by eight months, the proposal regarding Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital was moved after a delay of 14 months, the LG pointed out, adding that the IIIT-D proposal was “stonewalled” for about five years.
Saxena said that earlier, the file related to the constitution of the state food commission and appointment of district grievance redressal officers had taken more than six years to reach him while the reconstitution of Delhi Animal Welfare Board and its executive committee was also delayed by over two years. In both cases, he said, the files were finally sent to him “under pressure” from the courts and Union govt. He alleged Delhi govt kept misleading the courts that the proposals were pending the LG’s approval.
“Even a cursory reading of the facts mentioned above would bring forth a set pattern being followed across departments where ministers hold back files for months for no reason, without taking any decision. I would advise you to issue a directive to all ministers to ensure that all matters submitted to them are disposed of expeditiously in larger public interest,” the LG said.
In a letter to Kejriwal, Saxena said such “omissions and commissions” by govt and ministers reflected poorly on the state of governance and needed to be rectified. The LG added that Delhi was probably the “only govt” in the country where files were “held and delayed inordinately and unjustifiably for months and years”.
No immediate reaction was available from AAP govt.
While clearing a file related to declaring district magistrates as Responsible Sanitation Authority (RSA) under the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and Their Rehabilitation Act 2013 earlier this month, Saxena had expressed his displeasure over the delay of more than three years by the urban development department in formalising the proposal. In his letter to the chief minister, written last week, the LG referred to the same proposal and some more in the recent past and said it had now become a “habit” of govt.
“This is regretfully similar to even other files being pended (sic) and delayed unnecessarily, something that I have flagged to you on many occasions,” Saxena observed. “I deem it fit to write to you about the matter of appointments/constitution of bodies because these hit at the very basic statutory guarantees that govt seeks to provide to the citizens.”
The other “delayed” proposals included the constitution of a state-level monitoring committee under Plastic Waste (Management & Handling) Rule 2011, notified under Environment Protection Act 1986; constitution of the governing council of Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital; and constitution of a search-cum-selection committee for appointment of the chairperson of IIIT-Delhi’s board of governors.
Saxena said that in all four cases, “unmindful neglect” and “inordinate delay” were noted. While the file related to the monitoring committee for plastic waste management was delayed by eight months, the proposal regarding Rajiv Gandhi Super Specialty Hospital was moved after a delay of 14 months, the LG pointed out, adding that the IIIT-D proposal was “stonewalled” for about five years.
Saxena said that earlier, the file related to the constitution of the state food commission and appointment of district grievance redressal officers had taken more than six years to reach him while the reconstitution of Delhi Animal Welfare Board and its executive committee was also delayed by over two years. In both cases, he said, the files were finally sent to him “under pressure” from the courts and Union govt. He alleged Delhi govt kept misleading the courts that the proposals were pending the LG’s approval.
“Even a cursory reading of the facts mentioned above would bring forth a set pattern being followed across departments where ministers hold back files for months for no reason, without taking any decision. I would advise you to issue a directive to all ministers to ensure that all matters submitted to them are disposed of expeditiously in larger public interest,” the LG said.