Delhi Govt Warns Officers Against Ignoring MPs, MLAs; Non-Compliance To Invite Disciplinary Action
Delhi govt directs officers to promptly respond to MPs and MLAs, warning of disciplinary action for non-compliance. Acknowledgment within 15 days and reply within 30 days mandated under new SOP.
The Delhi government on Friday directed officers to promptly respond to communications from MPs and MLAs, warning them of disciplinary action against those who fail to do so. This comes a day after Assembly Speaker Vijender Gupta flagged non-responsive behaviour of a section of officers.
Gupta in a letter to Chief Secretary Dharmendra said he was informed that some officers did not even acknowledge communications from MLAs in the form of letters, phone calls and messages. "The matter has been viewed seriously by the chief secretary," said a circular issued by the General Administration Department (GAD) of the Delhi government.
The government has issued comprehensive instructions with regard to engagement and protocols to be observed while dealing with MLAs and MPs, it said.
The instructions need to be strictly adhered to in letter and spirit, said the circular issued by Additional Chief Secretary (GAD) Navin Kumar Choudhary.
"There should be no occasion that MLAs or Members of Parliament are constrained to make such complaints. Non-compliance to these instructions will invite commensurate disciplinary action and will be an important input in evaluation of the officer concerned," it said.
The circular also shared a standard operating procedure (SOP) regarding official dealings of administration and MPs and MLAs, prepared by the GAD in 2020.
It laid down that communications received from an MP or MLA need to be promptly attended. A communication addressed to a minister or secretary, should be replied by themselves as far as possible. The information sought by an MP or MLA should be supplied, unless it is of such nature that it would be denied to him, said the SOP. Further, it said that each communication received from an MP or MLA should be acknowledged within 15 days, followed by a reply within the next 15 days.
Moreover, Delhi Minister Parvesh Verma criticized government officers for negligence, calling them "thick-skinned," and vowed strict action under the new BJP government. He ordered the suspension of an executive engineer over poor desilting in Akshardham. Former Delhi CM Atishi Marlena later held a press conference condemning Verma's language.
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